


A Moment in Eternity

by TelephoneCableSplicer



Category: South Club (Band), Winner (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Romance, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Sexual Assault, Character Death, Guard!Mino, M/M, Messenger!Taehyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 02:56:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12974316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TelephoneCableSplicer/pseuds/TelephoneCableSplicer
Summary: His arrival as another God's envoy on the mortal plane was sudden and grim. To the rest; the seraph's existence was haunting, his words were ill-boding and his red wings — demonic. But to a precious few; Taehyun was ethereal, his guidance a blessing and his duty to save the world — tragically selfless.The seraph would give his absolute all for his Lord, and Mino would give himself unconditionally to Taehyun.





	A Moment in Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta.  
> Disclaimer: This story is purely _fictional,_ and the world is _make-believe._ Words such as priests, holy entity, monastery, cardinals etc. are not to be taken seriously. They were not written with the intention to do harm to readers who might feel uncomfortable with how they were used in this fic; involuntarily or otherwise.
> 
> Other than that, thank you to everyone who has been waiting patiently for this! ilu. Without further ado;

 

* * *

 ☽

 

He came to them during a hailstorm.

 

The monastery was situated on top of a hill, it was the highest building in their land where the people had run to for refuge against the unforgiving rain and rising floodwaters. It was on another dreary morning of endless heavy rain, when the monastery's highest elder — Cardinal Chun; had startled his fellow brethren and the worn villagers when they saw him hastily made way to the great entrance hall, the old man pushed open the heavy iron doors with his frail limbs and seasoned bones urgently.

 

Other priests, his advisors, senior monks; that had run after the cardinal worriedly and a handful of villagers that were huddling near the low fires in the great hall — watched with furrowed brows as the highest elder stepped out into the harsh squall. His aging body stood completely still underneath the tempest, his gleaming staff that was a symbol of his high position and power of ruling over the green land, were clenched tightly in one bony hand. His old jaded eyes were colder than the storm itself as he looked at the furthest edge of the shadowy hill.

 

A dark figure approached them from the edge of the hill. A man, hidden both in his tattered cloak and by the heavy downpour. Everyone held their breaths as the stranger approached them, ultimately revealing his monstrosity to the people as he stepped closer.

 

The  _being's_ skin was paler than the palest moon, long powdery white hair fell short just over a pair of gray orbs, wearing an equally muted ashen robe. He walked forward, steadily, undisturbed by the harsh gale and biting wind. His paced was measured, unhurried, purposeful. But it was not how the being's lack of feeling towards the blizzard nor was his dead eyes that sent shivers down the people's spine — it was a pair of red blood  _wings_ ; ruby red like an expensive wine, gleaming wetly behind his back. It was unbelievably huge, the ends of its feathers trailing the wet ground silently.

 

_I was sent here to aid you._

 

Was what the being had informed them in his lilting voice. Everyone held their breaths as the cardinal sharp stare turned vulnerable. The creature's existence was against all their teachings, there was no such thing as a person with a pair of wings on their backs. It was against their beliefs, it was never mentioned in any of their holy scrolls or old testaments. A being such as that was only real in fables and folklore.

 

The being existence was in one word;  _wrong._

 

The cardinal gripped his staff tight, words of banishment were at the tip of his tongue when a boy, a novice of the monastery — came hurriedly down the brick stairs and squeezed between his gathering brethren. He pushed forward and ran forth towards the being; a clean, dry and warm heavy cloak was in his small arms. The rest of the brethren was caught off guard and was too late to stop the boy from getting near the creature. They were even more reluctant to do so when they saw the young novice stood in front of the pale newcomer closely, their fear towards the unknown won over their desire to protect their own well-known troublesome runt.

 

                "Bend down!" The boy shouted to the pale man, startling him into doing what he was asked for. The boy immediately threw the cloak over him, wrapping it securely around its body. "Where are you from? Are you cold? Do you need help? Shelter? Food? Was your home flooded with the rain too?" The boy bombarded him with questions, so pure and earnest in his worry for a stranger in his young eyes and a monster in others.

 

The beautiful being's dumbstruck face slowly formed a gentle smile as he offered a small  _'thank you'_  to the younger boy. He shook his head with regards to the boy's previous questions and stood up, turning around towards the flashing sky and dark clouds. He walked under the storm — gait graceful and barely leaving any footsteps in the puddle of mud beneath his feet, never swaying from the strong hailstorm. He arrived at the edge of the cliff and knelt on the wet ground, his borrowed cloak now dirtied by the mud. The boy hurried over to the being's side and did the same; kneeling on the ground and asking if he was hurt, if he needed any help.

 

The being was surprised again by how close the boy was with him, he seemed to not care for his apparent difference from any normal human or about his wings like how the adults do. At the boy's concern, he shook his head again. "You should come inside, mister. What are you doing?" The boy asked again, tiny hands pulling at his robe.

 

The boy's companions ran up to him, one of them had thrown another warm cloak over their wayward runt of a friend, and together they kneeled around the newcomer too, small bodies shivering against the cold. "You should not worry yourselves, little ones. Go take refuge from the rain," the man advised the four children, but they refused to move when they saw none of them made the effort to. The winged man shook his head exasperatedly, humans were the hardest creatures to understand to him. He spread his blood red wings wide, shocked gasped and muffled curses raised from the people behind them. The man covered the children beside him with his mighty wings from the rain, the children gaped and stared wondrously at the pair.

 

He then brought both palms together and prayed earnestly in the harsh rain, eyes closed and skin turning even paler in the biting cold. Everyone did not let their curious eyes strayed far from the huge wings. They stared at the unnatural being before them in silence, waiting and observing his movements. Soon, the rain slowly died down, the clouds started to part as the sliver of rays shine down across the lush valleys and flooded homes after many, many weeks.

 

The boys' eyes grew wide in wonder, staring at the clear horizon and grinning delightfully. The villagers exchanged surprised gasps as the brethren mumbled spiteful reproaches at what was surely the result of the unknown being's prayer. Their high elder was at a loss for words, face grim and lips thinning amongst the people's cheerful smiles.

 

                "The rain stopped! Was it you, mister?" The young runt asked again, eyes full of adoration and grinning from ear to ear in delight, fist still pulling tightly at his ashen robe. The stranger nodded generously. He was again taken aback when the boy threw himself for a warm hug, the being never experiencing any sort of close contacts with humans before. "Thank you so, so very much!"

 

The blond man; surprised and unfamiliar with the feeling, simply held the boy close, patting the damped head awkwardly.

 

                "You really did save us," another boy spoke up from beside them, drenched shaggy hair falling over a pair of rounded glasses. The man shook his head lightly at his words.

 

                "No. Not yet, I have not."

 

                "Are you going to leave now?" Another boy with a pair of beautiful wide, doe-eyes asked shyly, holding tight to another of his taller friend's robe.

 

                "No. I am not."

 

                "Stay with us. You're so cold. I think you're going to catch a fever soon," the boy in his arms said. The man was silent as he heard cautious footsteps approached them.

 

                "Song Minho, let go of that creature," the high elder's voice instructed grimly. The boy's grip tightened as his brows furrowed at the older man. The being easily stood up and lightly let go of the boy's hands, moving him aside with a gentle nudge. His friends pulled the boy to them, urging him to stay put and not meddle with  _adult stuff_. The being turned around to face the elder, he pulled down the graying hood over his head, his hair unnaturally soft and face celestially attractive.

 

The cardinal grew even more wary of the man's grace and aura, the stranger was definitely not from their land or even their realm. The man's gunmetal eyes moved only sparsely, not looking directly at the cardinal — he was  _blind._

 

                "My lord forwarded to me a dire warning for the people of this plane," the man's voice was airy, unhurried and effortlessly stealing people's attention. "I was sent here to aid you."

 

If the high elder was taken aback by the ominous news, he did not show it on his face. There was a heavy paused in the air, uncomfortable and bleak. The senior priests whispered maliciously amongst themselves, angry and anxious at the appearance of what could only be a heathen, a demon, a devil. The high priest raised his bony hand halfway up slowly and his faithful advisor immediately hushed the wary chatters down.

 

                "Come inside," the cardinal instructed cautiously. "I will listen to what you have to say, and we shall decide from there."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

                "Why are you here?" The boy that had first run up to him in the storm asked the blond stranger. They were walking down a long, open hallway in the spacious monastery; magnificent red and golden pillars lined-up across the floor, bright sunlight falling against them with its pleasant warmth. That hallway was quiet as the other priests were busing tending to the villagers and the younger apprentices were busy with daily classes or tasks of their own.

 

                "I was sent here by my lord with a warning for your people. A calamity will befall this land and I were told to lend my strength to help ease the coming misfortune," the blond stranger replied honestly.

 

                "Why?"

 

                "Why what, little one?"

 

                "Why help us?"

 

                "Because my lord told me so."

 

                "Who's your lord?"

 

                "My lord is my creator."

 

The boy hummed back to the messenger's words, catching up to the blond's pace as the man was so very tall. He walked gracefully but his stride was still longer than the child's. "Your lord told you to do something, is it like a homework?"

 

                "I do not understand."

 

                "Like our instructors would give us homework and we need to do it, whether we like it or not. Need to finish it before submitting it back or meeting the instructor again. Is helping us your homework?"

 

                "I believe it could be so when you put it that way."

 

The child nodded. He had never met an angel before, he was kind of proud to learn that angels have their own homework to do too, given by their lords. They probably are not so different than humans as the blond was there only because he needed to finish his task by helping them.

 

                "What's your name, mister?"

 

The being did not have a human name, but he told the boy that he could call him  _Taehyun_  if he really must. He indulged the boy's endless questions about his origins as truthfully as he could, but more often than not, he was unable to answer most of them out of his sense of duty to his lord high above. The boy did not push him, he did not seem to mind the secrets and Taehyun smiled fondly as he recalled the times when he had come to the human world twice in his lifetime before, so  _so_  very long ago. Back then, those people had called him Taehyun — but never with such genuine affection as the boy was calling to him now.

 

The child nodded and grinned, he introduced himself properly as  _Song Minho;_  a young apprentice at the monastery. He eagerly grabbed onto Taehyun's long fingers, startling the man again in a span of a day — and pulling the blond along to show him around the temple grounds. Taehyun obligingly went along as he had nothing else to do. He had met with the cardinal, warned the man of his people's incoming trial and offered them his strength. For now, Taehyun was to wait and observe because his lord had not told him anything else.

 

They walked amongst great hallways and opened courtyards, Minho explaining the purpose of each place with little information but showed the man all his secret hideouts with great enthusiasm. It was a new feeling, conversing naturally with mortals and spending time aimlessly. Taehyun decided that he was liking this third visit of his on a human plane far more than he did the previous two.

 

They soon met with one of Minho's friend, the one Taehyun remembered was there with them during the storm. He recognized the voice as he heard them again, the shaggy-haired boy chided Minho for being insensitive towards the blond's feelings.

 

                "He's blind. He can't see. You're giving a tour to a blind person, Minho," his friend said, arms crossed and pushing his big glasses up to rest properly on his button nose. The boy was not angry towards Minho's antics, but instead, at Minho for playing hooky and not attending his lessons — again. Their tallest friend who had tagged along with the glasses boy, pulled at Minho's protesting arm to drag him to their morning class together. Minho stubbornly hid behind Taehyun's robe, underneath his wings.

 

                "Go on," Taehyun urged and pulled Minho to move from behind him, nudging the boy down the long hallway. "You should not forgo your lessons. You may come and find me when you are finished. I will be here."

 

The taller boy dragged a whining Minho away from the blond man, bickering non-stop until they started to playfully push one another and ran down the hallway in laughter, their small carefree backs disappearing out of sight. The glasses boy who had scolded Minho a second ago simply shook his head in an exasperated sigh, standing beside Taehyun.

 

                "Excuse me, mister?"

 

Taehyun was a bit startled by another voice calling out to him so softly, he was not expecting someone else other than Minho's friend beside him. He was still unfamiliar with not being able to see, relying heavily on his ears alone and starting to feel subtle strains on them from being overused. He turned his body around to the source of that voice, tilting his head in question.

 

                "If Minho's being a bother to you, you can just tell him so," the new voice piped up meekly again. A young boy poked his head out from behind one of the huge columns in the great halls.

 

                "Oh, there you are Jinwoo! Come quick, we have lessons," the boy with the glasses called out to his shorter friend. Taehyun blinked his gray eyes once in surprise at the shy boy's suggestion about Minho before smiling down at him, acknowledging the younger boy's presence and beckoning him closer.

 

                "He does not bother me. I find his presence pleasant, like a breath of fresh air," Taehyun confessed, kneeling down so he would be eye-leveled with the boy even when his orbs remained unmoving.

 

                "That's a first. The older priests find him too wild to tame," the glasses boy said back, shrugging his shoulders while scratching the back of his shaggy hair. Taehyun chuckled as he heard something clothed being hit, the shy boy who had joined them was probably scolding the shaggy-haired boy for his forwardness.

 

                "Seungyoon, that's not a very nice thing to say," the smaller voice said in reproach. The boy turned his big eyes at Taehyun, watching the gray irises in wonder. "Please pardon him, mister. Seungyoon is very straightforward when talking. And our brethren are not  _unkind_  to any of us but oftentimes they're just too busy with their own tasks to handle our Minho," the child explained, not wanting anyone to start thinking ill of their respected monastery. The blond man nodded back in understanding.

 

                "What are your names?" The messenger asked.

 

                "I'm Kim Jinwoo. This is Kang Seungyoon. Our friend that had to dragged Minho away just now was Lee Seunghoon," the small boy replied. "What is your name? I heard you telling Minho just now," Jinwoo asked shyly.

 

Taehyun nodded his head back, "As I have explained to Song Minho, my true name is not something humans could pronounce. But if you'd like, you may call me Taehyun."

 

Jinwoo immediately beamed up at his words. "It's nice to meet you, Taehyun," he said while bowing, Seungyoon following along swiftly after remembering that he had not properly introduced himself. "So, you don't mind Minho being all over you? Please trust me when I say that our friend is a little slow at getting hints. If he's troubling you, you ought to tell him or he won't let you go, ever."

 

Taehyun hummed back while pondering lightly. "It is fine. It does not bother me at all," he confessed genuinely with a small smile, still feeling the lingering warmth of Minho's much smaller hands in his grip.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

The messenger learned that the four children were inseparable.

 

They were the youngest, most brave, little apprentices the monastery has had the honor of accepting for being unafraid to leave the comfort of their homes at such an early age. At that time, the boys' heights barely passed Taehyun's knees; constantly running in circles around him, never letting him out of their sights and asking for Taehyun to fly them sky high. The messenger did not have the heart to turn them down, and so he flew them, one by one until they were reported to the cardinal by an  _uptight, party-pooper, smelly feet senior priest who probably doesn't even have a girlfriend yet_  — Minho's words exactly and the cardinal banned Taehyun from flying anyone at all, from doing it ever again, for safety reasons.

 

Seungyoon was apologetic, Jinwoo cried at being scolded, Hoon did not really mind since he had already experienced it once and Minho was furious. Taehyun had been lectured by the cardinal for a grueling one hour at his recklessness, he had drowned out halfway through.

 

                "Me? Banned from flying? That's stupid. As if you wouldn't catch us if we were to fall," Minho fumed while pulling the blond on his hand down the office wing of the monastery, stomping his feet angrily.

 

The other boys had left for lunch after getting an earful from the cardinal, but Minho had stubbornly stayed outside the high elder's office to wait for the blond messenger to finally come out. Taehyun had to bend a little by Minho's tugging as the boy was still short, but his stride was undoubtedly fast for such short pair of legs and he smiled at the little one's outburst.

 

                "The high elder is correct, Minho. It is not a question of whether I  _wouldn't_  but  _couldn't_ instead. It was reckless of me for I am blind. Unfortunate things might happen the next time I am with one of you in the air and we should avoid that," Taehyun said calmly, trying to placate the fuming child. "The rest of your friends agrees too."

 

Minho stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the taller man exasperatedly. "Yes, we didn't say the cardinal was  _wrong,_  but he was also incorrect. You're an  _angel,_  Taehyun. You save people. So, if I fall, you'll catch me even if you're blind," he stated as matter-of-factly. The blond could not help but smile at the childish naivety in that thoughtless comment. Taehyun was no angel, he was simply a messenger for his lord. But nevertheless, the little one's faith in him stirred a warm feeling inside and he liked it a lot.

 

Minho pouted in place, mumbling complains about the high elder as he took his time to curiously run his fingers over the blood red feathers hanging behind Taehyun's back. He could feel the child's actions, the sensation of a mortal's touch on him was still foreign but it was no longer unwelcomed. At first, he tolerated the boys' curious hands, now it had evolved into warmness that he was glad to have learned. Minho's tiny fingers on his wings were the only one he permits and not anyone else's.

 

                "Are you not afraid of being so high up when we fly, Minho?" Taehyun asked, running his pale hand tenderly into the boy's hair as the child was doing to the blond's wings. He felt the answering movement of the boy's head, shaking in answers.

 

                "No, I don't. I came from a village on the hills, I am used to high places. The same way you are Taehyun."

 

                "What do you mean, little one? I am not from the hills or from this land."

 

The boy's touch on his wings paused and he looked up to properly frown at the calm, blank face. Even with his lack of sight, Taehyun felt the disapproval radiating from the boy in front of him. "I know, Taehyun. You're not from this land," Minho said with a roll of his eyes. "You're from the sky. I'm not scared of heights because I'm from the hills, and angels do not fear heights because they're from the sky and have wings," Minho had said as if he himself was an angel and knew what he was talking about. His pure and unadulterated faith surprised the blond.

 

But truth be told, Taehyun felt a tint of resentment at the sky. While on some lonely days, Taehyun  _fears_ the sky instead. It was where he came from, it was part of what had made him, it was where his lord resides and any words that came down from it is canon, none could challenge it. The sky controls him.

 

He came down to the human plane thrice and each time he was not given any sense of security that he could ever return to it. If he succeeded in his task from his lord, he may return. If he does not, on the human world he shall dwell, forever until the end of time. That was where he believes the humans had made stories about fallen angels — but beings such as himself were not shunned, they did not turn evil, they simply failed at their given task and for that, they shall remain. The sky is just; but because it is  _just,_  that it is also honorably  _cruel._

 

He felt the gentle tug of Minho's hands on his owns. He slowly got down to his knees on the marble floor, trembling in concealed fear as he recalled back his reality being on the human plane again — how terrifying it was to not know if he could ever return to the sky. He seldom pays the notion any mind but now that he started, he could not stop worrying.

 

Minho wrapped his small arms around the blond's neck, Taehyun gasped in surprise at the unfamiliar contact. "Are you scared, Taehyun? It's okay. I left my home very early too. I was scared but the cardinal praised me for being brave. And I have Seungyoon, Jinwoo, and Hoon with me here," Minho said comfortingly, patting the blond's head as if he was consoling a small child. "You're very brave, Taehyun. And you have me with you, okay? Call me anytime when you get scared. I'm training to become stronger, so I can definitely take care of you."

 

Taehyun felt a prickling of sensation behind his gray eyes and at that very moment, he knew that he had found a home away from his usual paradise. And somehow it was indescribably brighter than the sky.

 

The blond messenger closed his eyes and hid his face against the boy's small shoulder. Holding his feelings down, he finally nodded his head, accepting Minho's words. The boy grinned from ear to ear, hugging the blond tightly and Taehyun returned the hug just as earnestly.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

                "Taehyun, were you always blind?"

 

Taehyun and Minho were sitting on the rooftop of the temple's highest pagoda. Minho said he had always wanted to try climbing to the top but Seungyoon scolded him for even thinking about it. His friend had even warned the senior priests about Minho's dangerous wish, so the boy was forbidden to even enter the tower. But Minho had pulled insistently on Taehyun's hand, whining and making puppy noises at him to bring him up there. If Taehyun could see, he was sure Minho would also be wearing the most impressive pout.

 

_"Please, Taehyun? Please? You're the only one who could make my wish come true. The only one, my most important person in life! The only one who could fulfill my wish!"_

 

Despite the warning from the cardinal, the blond relented in just a few minutes. Minho squealed in delight as Taehyun flew them up on the rooftop; the boy laughing and whooping in Taehyun's hold. They sat there now, Minho watching the sunset from the highest vantage point he had ever seen in his life and Taehyun simply enjoying the boy's easy chatter and company.

 

The short time he had spent in the monastery felt like the fullest in Taehyun's life. As a celestial being, he and the others — the Lord's servants were created individually, only when they were needed, never more and never less. They wander their lives alone, only receiving the Lord's summons and went off to complete them when needed. Taehyun was always alone. He never knew what companionship was but if that was what was forming between him and the human boy then he was glad for it; for Minho to be the one to show him it.

 

                "Taehyun," Minho called out again, his small hand tugging slightly at the blond's hold. The boy had promised not to let their hands go so that he would not accidentally slip off the roof. "I asked if you were always blind?" Minho nudged Taehyun a little, trying to get his attention as the blond was looking off into the horizon.

 

A small smile graced the blond's lips wistfully, he tilted his head into Minho's direction. "Do you really want to know?" Taehyun asked, unmindful of the boy's curiosity. Minho nodded his head enthusiastically but then remembered that Taehyun could not see him no matter how expressive those gray eyes behaved without their owner knowing it. He grabbed onto both pale hands and brought them to his face, nodding strongly again to let Taehyun feel his actions. The blond chuckled at him and Minho simply giggled in reply.

 

                "Yeah! Tell me, please? That is if you don't mind me snooping into your life. If you don't want to tell me then that's okay too. But I really want to know since we're friends. But it's ok not tell me too, I guess," Minho started to mumble, small fingers intertwining with the blond's longer ones. Taehyun held on to the boy's hand again and waited for him to settle down.

 

                "I will tell you," Taehyun said with a bemused smile, patting those soft black hair gently. "I was not born blind. I could see before but when my lord sent me down to this plane as his envoy, he decided to take away my sight."

 

                "Why? Did it hurt?"

 

                "No, I did not feel a thing. I supposed it was so that I would not be easily swayed by desire or be tempted to interfere with your people's destiny."

 

Minho stared at him with a confused face, "What? You can't help when you can't see?"

 

                "It is easier to be tempted when you can judge with your own eyes the happenings before you."

 

                "But aren't you an angel? An angel's job is to help people, right?"

 

                "You have been calling me that, but your senior brethren seemed to had already accepted my appearance as a demon instead."

 

                "No. Don't listen to them, they're dumb."

 

                "They are older than you, so they are wiser. Maybe they are correct."

 

                "Well, you should listen to the cardinal instead. The cardinal is older than  _all_  of us! And he said the temple grounds are only for the holy. If you're a demon Taehyun, you wouldn't be able to even step through those main doors."

 

The messenger almost blurted out a laugh at Minho's unquestionable faith and genuine words. For all the times Taehyun had been within the temple's ground, he had not felt any divine energy from the soils there and he was sure that the cardinal's words were only said to placate the children in the monastery. But he ought not to break any child's beliefs unless he really wanted to become a real devil in disguise.

 

                "I suppose the cardinal is correct then," Taehyun agreed readily, bringing one wing forward for the boy to touch. Minho's eyes would always turn mesmerized at the red feathers, combing his fingers neatly through them.

 

                "What does it feel like to have wings? Can you feel me touching them?" Minho asked, looking up at the blond's serene face.

 

                "I can," the blond nodded. He was still learning about getting used to his new body that the Lord had given him. This time around, he was sent down with a body that was created to be free of hunger, no voiding in any form, immune to poison and could fly. It was an easy body to live with, but he could still bleed, his heart still beats, his body easy to tire as his wings were a huge burden on his back, and he cannot see; at all.

 

                "Do you know how you look like?" Minho asked, fingers still combing through the feathers. Taehyun shook his head in response. "I can tell you. You wanna know?" He asked giddily and Taehyun nodded his head, smiling back. "For a start, your wings are very big, bigger than you. And its red like the carpets in the meeting rooms at the office wing."

 

Taehyun chuckled at Minho's words. The boy was describing to Taehyun his wings color by telling him about a rug he could never see, only because it was the most familiar to the boy. The blond scooted closer to his smaller companion, holding the tanned hand tight and secure, "Is that so? What about my hair?" He urged on.

 

                "It's white, like the snow. Or like powder. Or like flour. Your skin is very pale too, Taehyun. Like a full moon. You could see one up close here when it happens, the full moon. It's super big cause we're on top of a mountain," Minho said excitedly, swinging his legs back and forth over the hanging tiles, uncaring that they were so many feet up from the ground.

 

                "That is very lovely."

 

                "Yup! We'll watch it together next time, okay? And your fingers are very long, your hands are soft. Your eyes are gray, like the daggers in the weapon's room. Your robe is ugly. I think you need a new one. You can't mend the robe you're wearing now, it's tattered here and there. I think it'll be impossible to fix," Minho said unimpressed, poking through one hole on Taehyun's ashen, gray robe's sleeve.

 

                "I do not mind this robe. It is what my lord gave me."

 

                "Well, he could give you something better. Something pretty. You look like a beggar in this and kind of scary. I don't like it cause your face is very nice, but the robe makes you look ugly," Minho said honestly, pouting and making a yucky face at the garments.

 

                "If I found one that is better, I will change into that," Taehyun replied, patting the boy's head in comfort. Minho made an agreeable noise before he hummed in question, tilting his head to the side as he noticed something on the blond. "What is it?" Taehyun asked.

 

The messenger felt the chain around his neck being tugged lightly, Minho nudge the collar of Taehyun's robe slightly to the side and the man belatedly helped the boy to pull out his hidden pendant.

 

                "Woah!" Minho exclaimed in amazement. On his palms sat a pendant shaped with a weird insignia that he had never seen before. There were millions of tiny lights floating inside of it, the surface cold to the touch. "What is this, Taehyun?" Minho asked, eyes sparkling, and voice tinted awed in wonder.

 

                "My Lord's crest. It is beautiful, isn't it?" Taehyun replied, a little proud of his Lord's emblem that he wore without fail all through his celestial life. Inside of it were tiny galaxies that belonged to Taehyun; a gift from his lord to his servants. There were countless beings inside, living with him as their eternal guardian to their existence. It felt nice to have them, he felt loved and wanted even when they only worship him as a higher entity and nothing more.

 

                "It's super neat, ouch!-" Minho snatched back his hand, his finger pricked by a sharp edge of the pendant. Taehyun immediately took hold of the boy's hand, shocked that the smooth surface could cut the child's finger.

 

                "Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself on it?" Taehyun asked in worry. Minho sucked his bleeding finger with a heavy pout, the cut stung a lot.

 

                "Yeah, it's very sharp. You should be careful wearing that," Minho grumbled in reply, eyeing the pendant shadily, as if wanting to pick a fight with it for hurting him. Taehyun took the boy's hand in his and hugged him on his side, shushing him even when the boy was not crying. Taehyun was surprised at how natural it felt to be close to the child, Minho's warmth a comfort to him more than his to the boy.

 

                "It had never hurt me before. I apologize," Taehyun said as Minho returned his hug back casually, patting the blond's side as he caught the sadden look on Taehyun's face.

 

                " 'sokay, it hurts but I'm a big boy. I'm fine. Let's go down Taehyun. It's already dark and I think I heard Seungyoon calling for me. I don't want him to catch us up here," Minho said, tugging the blond's hand in his. Taehyun nodded and scoop the child up into his arms, taking off gently with his great wings in the dark sky. He was glad to hear the boy could still giggle in excitement in his hold after the cut he received.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

During Taehyun's stay at the monastery, he often heard the hurried footsteps and the rush of novice priests running down the pristine hallways, yelling excitedly across the temple grounds, catching up with their classes or completing their assigned tasks given by their instructors, eager and full of vigor to learn and train themselves to become full-fledged priests. They trained and stayed at the monastery in hopes to either become higher priests or holy mercenaries one day; for their brethren there were well-known as the most successful temple in their region.

 

Many people from far and wide, rich and poor, young and old — would come to the temple to seek aids in various forms. And the temple ran by wise priests and dependable mercenaries; were excellent at lending their strength wherever they could and help to solve people's woes.

 

Their glory as a strong ministry was both a benefit and a bad fortune for them, for even though they were a dignified religious community and act as a dependable force when necessary, they were also constantly attacked from both inside and out — from invasion for their lands or murderous treachery by a few of their own corrupted brethren. Their plight as a ministry grew harder and direr in just a few short years and it did not seem would ease anytime soon.

 

Taehyun was a messenger from his lord; a being that was once only a myth but had then came to live amongst the priests, amongst faithful believers of  _another_  god, amongst the mortals on the new plane he was in. It had effectively thrown their beliefs off their balance.

 

His presence was unwelcomed, and it showed from the irksome faces of the older priests and biting whispers from the monastery's young apprentices who were taught to fear the unknown. But even so, Taehyun had grown fond of the four children who did not shy away from him and wanted to take care of them in any way he could. Even if it meant offering his ability to predict the future to save his young companions, along with the monastery — from an untimely defeat.

 

                "I have come to aid you," Taehyun had said one day, standing in front of the cardinal's long oak desk in his muted ashen robe and wan-looking wings. The high elder and a few of his advisors had gathered in the cardinal's office, charts and maps strewn over all available flat surfaces. The men were up in their arms preparing for an oncoming battle with an enemy force that had caught them off guard.

 

The elder sighed tiredly at Taehyun's unexpected appearance, the old man's bony fingers massaging his own temples in vain. "I understand that, Seraph. And you had conveyed to us that the misfortune that shall befall upon us will come but  _not soon._  That's why you are still here, aren't you? With us in this monastery, waiting for its arrival?"

 

                "Yes, the calamity  _will_  come but the challenges you are facing now could also, in turn, be a downfall to your ministry if you fail to rise as the victor," Taehyun explained calmly, his blind eyes resting straight ahead on the carved wall behind the man. "If the monastery falls now, the calamity will take over the world without much fight. I will fail in my task to aid you," the blond said further. He refused to be like those beings who were forced to roam the human plane forever for failing their Lord's task.

 

The elder leaned back against his chair, signaling for the rest of the priests to take a break from forming battle plans. The senior advisors stopped talking amongst each other and stood back a few steps to give both men a chance to converse, but not without their glares directed at the blond for his interruption.

 

                "And what do you purpose we do, Seraph?" The cardinal asked. "Send out all of our mercenaries for this invasion? We don't have that many trained soldiers left. Half of them had fallen during our last battle with the West force only a couple of months ago."

 

                "I am aware," Taehyun replied as he remembered the cries of the man's fellow brethren who had learned of their friends and families’ death in that battle. He could have stopped the bloodshed, but it was not his place to interfere — until now. "Those men had fallen because you were ill-prepared for that battle, and you still are now for this one," Taehyun heard the snorts and muffled curses coming from the other priests and fellow mercenaries. "Allow me to assist you, Cardinal Chun."

 

                "And pray tell, how would you go about doing that?" asked the high elder's right-hand man in a gruff voice, he was the senior priest Advisor Jung Sung Ki. "The last I've checked, you're still a messenger from some god but far from owning any superhuman strength nor any magical abilities. What could you possibly bring to the table that we've not yet done in this bloody battle?" Sung Ki spoke out loud, irritated and cursing the time being wasted by Taehyun. The man was  _definitely_  on edge.

 

Jung Sung Ki held the position as both the cardinal's main advisor and captain strategist. He garnered respect from the brethren and people of importance from various lands for his achievements thus far. As stellar as he was in his positions, he was also the most hard-headed amongst the advisors. He was the loudest to protest of Taehyun's arrival, he was convinced that Taehyun was a creature of evil and his wings a pair of bad omens. Often, he had urged the cardinal to banish Taehyun from their land for his unnatural presence alone.

 

                "Ever since you arrived, Seraph; more and more misfortunes had befallen us. I don't think they are a mere coincidence at all. You're nothing but a harbinger of misfortune and affliction," he spat out in anger. Taehyun moved to walk slowly in front of the advisor, stepping forward and resting his gray eyes exactly on the man's hardened face, the rest of the brethren looked upon them worryingly.

 

                "If I may, Advisor Sung Ki," Taehyun started to say and the priest was already wearing a permanent scowl on his face. "I am a messenger of my lord, and nothing more. I bring ill-words, true, but it is not by my own creation. You have no need to fear me for I am only me. But you ought to fear my words for those are from my Lord," Taehyun stated, a little haughty, a little irritated himself for the unpleasant treatment he often received from the man. Sung Ki held his burning stare even when he knew that Taehyun cannot see. "With the blessing of my Lord, I shall be your seer. It is not hard to look into this world's future," he said, turning away from the fuming man.

 

                "Seraph," the cardinal called out to him in apprehension. "Does your god allow you to do this?" He probed further, worried frowns marring his face.

 

                "I do believe so, yes. Let me assist you," Taehyun offered again as he walked back to stand in front of the cardinal.

 

                "Very well, you may," the older man said.

 

                "High Elder, you can't possibly think of trusting—" the advisor was cut halfway by a sharp glare from the cardinal.

 

                "Sung Ki, to help others is the measure of our responsibility, but to receive help is the measure of our hope. Right now, hope is what we need, and I will not let intolerance and bigotry be in our way," the cardinal said to his advisor and spoke the last sentence to everyone in the room. "Do I make myself clear?" He asked everyone on the floor and received a lukewarm reply. The other priests stared at each other in small clarity tinted with a bit of uncertainty. The cardinal sighed and urged Taehyun to continue.

 

The blond nodded and closed his eyes, his hand resting on his chest where he knew the pendant that bears the emblem of his lord were residing underneath his robe. Feeling the cooling touch from the pendant, he prayed for his lord to show him a glimpse of the future, to permit him to help the people of that plane.

 

When he finally saw scattered images of what was to come, he opened his gray eyes slowly and spoke out to the high priest, "Cardinal Chun, take only half of your men; the finest soldiers you have and send them to the embankment on the eastern side of your land. The enemy is there."

 

                "Bullshit!" Sung Ki shouted while slamming his hands angrily on the table, startling half of the people in the room. "The enemy is at our southern border, there're marching in great numbers towards us as we speak and will arrive in  _two days!_  What use of us to send our best fighters to the east? To the waters? To somewhere completely opposite of the battleground?!" His furious questions were met with many backing up from other priests. To the advisor — none of the blond's words had ever made sense to him, then and now; and he was fed-up with it.

 

                "With all due respect, Seraph," one of the priests behind Sung Ki spoke up. Taehyun recognized his deep baritone voice, it belonged to the captain of a mercenary group under Sung Ki's wings; a handsome young man even with a scarred face and black battle worn clothes. The man may be under the advisor's direct orders, but he was still one of the many who regarded Taehyun as a holy being and act respectfully towards the blond. "I must confess my doubts too. What you are suggesting might be unworkable for us. We; as official guardians of this land, cannot simply abandon the people on the southern side. We need to send our soldiers there to fight the massive number of armies coming our way. Please, Seraph."

 

Taehyun acknowledged the man's concern and nodded his head in understanding. He hoped his returning smile; even though tight, would calm the man and the other mercenaries in the room when he said, "Rest assured Captain Yun, for those marching soldiers are just decoys. They are commoners; farmers and builders, old men and children just reaching their puberty that were forced to fight," Taehyun revealed to the rising murmurs and questions in the room by the dumbfounded men.

 

                "Believe me when I say that they are not trained mercenaries, they ought not to be your biggest concern. Because at the eastern banks, they will send in boats of powerful explosives, far dangerous than you had ever seen. And it shall be used on the monastery while all your men will be at the front line, battling their helpless civilians who were forced to march as soldiers."

 

Sung Ki came forward to stand before the cardinal too. "This is preposterous. There is no proof of his claims, high elder," he said to the man behind the desk. "There are no certainties to this —  _premonitions_ of his. We should stick to our battle plans, the one our brethren had toiled day and night over. There is no use fixing something that is not broken," Sung Ki said and turned to scoffed at the messenger. He gestured for a few of the priests to take Taehyun away. "Leave. We have the battle to win here, Seraph. You do not belong in the war room."

 

The blond frowned when he heard the shuffling movements of other people coming towards him to do the advisor's bidding, but the cardinal's voice stopped them in their tracks, "Wait. Seraph, are you certain of this information? I do trust you, but it would need to take more than just my faith to convince the people in this room to believe in your words."

 

The messenger sighed, nodding his head again while recognizing the people's doubts. He was a messenger, a genuine seer — yet it was true that he had not shown them any proof of his ability ever since he had stepped foot on their land. It was to be expected for them to have suspicion over him, even more so when almost half of the monastery sees him as something evil instead of a holy servant; with his red wings and ominous words.

 

Lightly, he rested a hand on his chest, over his pendant and said to the elder, "If it is proof that you want, then I shall give it to you. To all of you. I do not lie. I am a seer, I can foresee your future if my lord would generously show it to me."

 

The rest of the room fell quiet to his claims. Taehyun tilted his head to the side of the room, as if searching for something. He raised a delicate finger and subtly pointed towards a young priest at the very end of the room, the man covering his young face behind his sleeves, nose scrunching and eyes half-moon as he tried to hold back his sneeze.

 

                "A young, newly appointed mercenary to guard the office wing will sneeze three times in succession starting now," Taehyun said and the young man immediately did just that, sneezing as if on cue. He wiped his nose with a grunt before looking up and noticing the whole room was looking at him.

 

With a raised eyebrow, he asked a dumbfounded, "What?"

 

The advisor was far from impressed. "That proved nothing. It was stupid and a disappointment, Seraph," he scowled at the blond man standing in the middle of the room.

 

                "Did you forget that I am blind? I could not see where he is, what he was doing, or had even known from what division he was from," Taehyun countered back as the rest started to murmur with each other at the feat, even Sung Ki was caught a little off guard by the blond's clarifications.

 

                "Alas, I admit that  _that_ just now was weak. I shall give you more. Somewhere down the hall, a vase will be knocked over by one particular runt that you people seem to have so much trouble controlling," he stated with a small smile. Just a second after that, they heard a great crash outside of the cardinal's office, all heads turned quizzically at the sound and loud voices.

 

                 _"Minho! You idiot! Watch where you're running!"_  A young voice called out in panic to his friend and Taehyun immediately knew it belonged to the tallest boy Hoon.

 

_"Shit! I'm sorry, I didn't see! I was just looking for Taehyun! And running away from that guard!"_ Minho's familiar voice could be heard answering his friend's angry concerns.  _"Damn, Hoonie! Run!"_

 

                 _"You two! Stop! You're not allowed in this area!"_  They heard rushing footsteps and young laughter leaving the hallway area, patrolling guards yelling for the boys to stop, voice fading as they gave chase. Taehyun could sense all eyes were on him after that, he kept his cool gray gaze on Sung Ki's face.

 

                "Is it not enough?" Taehyun asked the quiet room. "Because in a few seconds, one of your scouts will barge in through that door to inform you that the enemy battalion is not  _two_  days away, but  _a day's_  march instead," he stated seriously, face void of any amusement from his previous proclaims. The occupants of the room whipped their heads to the door a second time as they heard another rushing footsteps across the hallway, paces more urgent, steps louder than the mischievous boys a few minutes ago.

 

A priest burst through the double doors; he was wearing the customary red patrolling guard's uniform, had run straight from the main gates, face dire and panting heavily; "High elders! Sirs! A scout has returned, he traveled as fast as his horse could, bringing with him bad news. The enemy soldiers are only a day away, sirs! They're nearing our village! We have to evacuate the people now!" He said in a panic, voice near distressed.

 

Again, the heavy gazes from everyone in the room rested upon Sung Ki and Taehyun. Some priests shivered in cold sweat at the accuracy of the blond's sayings, growing even more wary of the messenger before them. A few men escorted the new guard to another room, wanting to get enough information of the new situation up south and to break away from the high tension in the cardinal's office between the advisor and the messenger.

 

                "How is it, Advisor Sung Ki?" Taehyun questioned, not to gloat but to ask for affirmation that he had at least managed to solidify the weight of his ability to the man, to all of them. His Lord's words were never false.

 

The advisor stared at him with a grim face, lips thinning and hands in fists. Taehyun knew that the advisor was a proud man; smart and cautious. He would not get to where he was now if he was not all that. But Taehyun genuinely wants to help the monastery, he wants to protect the children he had grown so fond of if he can.

 

                "Advisor, if those are not proof enough for you, then you may have this too," Taehyun said calmly, his voice softened as he spoke. "A few moments ago, your wife had safely given birth to your female daughter. She was upside down, her neck was entangled by the womb's cord, but she survived. She has a birthmark on her left clavicle, the shape of a butterfly. When she grows up, she'll have long ginger red hair, like your late mother."

 

A quiet gasp came from the man, his hand grabbing the edge of the oak table as he seemed to have finally let go of a heavy burden within himself. "They- they survived? My wife and daughter, they're safe?" He asked in choked relief.

 

Taehyun nodded at the man, there was no need to explain any further. The man shall meet them soon and he can ascertain their health by himself. The advisor looked up at the blond messenger, eyes roaming the mysteriously graceful figure before him, cloaked in ashen robe and guarded stance.

 

                "You... what  _are_  you?" He asked in sudden bewilderment, like a match that was suddenly lit, his brain clicked that the being before him was far superior to any of them combined.

 

                "You know what I am," Taehyun replied quietly. "And I am here to aid you. Whether you accept my aid or not, it is not up to me to decide. If you choose not to, then I shall prepare myself for the consequences and move forward from there. The future calamity that would befall all of you, I have only need to save a few of your brethren, and whether you are one of those people, it is not up to me but of my lord to decide," he said and turned around to walk towards the door, the gathering priests in the room moved back and parted to make way for the messenger.

 

                "Seraph," the cardinal called out to him from across the room, his face was still as serious, yet his eyes had lost some of its jadedness, resting kindly on the messenger's back. "Are you certain about the embankment?"

 

                "I am. Do what you will with my advice, Cardinal Chun. I shall take my pardon now," Taehyun bowed slightly at the high elder. He said a quiet thank you to the guard that had opened the doors for him. The blond man pulled his hood back on top of his head, hiding his unbelievably striking hair and walked down the hallways alone. He was eager to find Minho who was looking for him just now, wondering what the boy had wanted to share with him with his contagious excitement.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

After the winning battle at the embankment, the cardinal started to trust Taehyun more with the ministry's endeavor. The advisors and senior priests were made to take an oath of secrecy to not reveal any of Taehyun's premonitions whenever the messenger decided to help them. As it turned out, the blond had only sparsely lent them his help, usually when the monastery found themselves in a tight pinch. Both sides were satisfied with that arrangement; for not all battles and commissions needed Taehyun's ability.

 

Taehyun's aid seemed to come and saved them only during the most dangerous and major challenges. To his surprised, rewards were given back to him just as equal of value. The blond was given gold, silver, and rubies by other groups or clans who associated themselves with the monastery — for his premonitions. He received lavishly styled robes and accessories from wealthy clients or noble families, whom he had managed to help settled disputes. He was gifted syrupy milk and luscious meats from the purest bred of prized livestock from villages and farmers when his warnings had saved them from devastating earthquakes and landslides.

 

And Taehyun was at a loss for what he was supposed to do with all of them.

 

                "Are they excessive looking?" Taehyun asked, standing in the middle of his room in his flimsy tunic as Minho sorted through his new collection of clothes. He had taken his tattered cloak and ashen robe off, waiting in patience for the youngster to choose his new attire.

 

Minho hummed distractedly at some of the clothes, almost all the gifts that were sent to Taehyun were of high quality. Even the sandals were made of expensive leather and decorated with emerald stones. "Well, you could say that. I know you don't like to stand out but honestly, even the most plain looking from this pile will look extravagant on you," he replied, rummaging through various satchels and other gift boxes to find pieces of jewelry and veils in them.

 

                "Why would they be?" Taehyun asked, coming closer to stand beside Minho at the foot of his bed. He heard the youngster made a few humming sounds here and there, the rustle of him throwing some random article of clothing around had been going on for quite a while now.

 

                "Because even if this one robe is the most plain looking out of all, it still has hundreds of tiny beads and subtle gold thread sewn meticulously over it. Its craftsmanship is insane! And here, touch this," Minho urged, catching Taehyun's hand and guiding it to slide slowly down the robe's length, laid out on the blond's bed. "You feel that cloth?"

 

                "Oh. My goodness, it is very  _soft._  It seems unreal to the touch," Taehyun replied, fingers lingering with interest across the robe. Minho smiled at the blond's surprised look. "What is it?"

 

                "Silk. We don't have it here. I guess this was one of the gifts from the people who came from the eastern sea, the same group that gave you that huge ass vase right there — for whatever reason," Minho said shrugging, looking at the biggest earthen pot he had ever seen. It took up so much space but the golden, fiery bird painted on it deserved a praise.

 

                "I like it, this cloth," the blond said with a bright smile, delighted to feel such a magnificent material. It crossed his mind that humans had really grown so much for them to be able to procure such a wonderful cloth. "But is this one truly the most sensible attire out of all?" Taehyun inquired as Minho had already brought the robe up and over the blond's arms, ready to help him get dressed. Minho had to tiptoe a bit, for even though he had grown throughout the years, he was still only as tall as Taehyun's chest.

 

                "Yeah, it's off-white with no patterns," Minho told him, the blond inserting his arms into each huge sleeve. "But you'll still turn people's head in this, I think. Well, at least it's not orange or purple in color. You have those too if you want to try ‘em on," Minho sniggered as he slides the material over Taehyun's arm more securely, the blond pulling on his light tunic underneath to avoid it from moving.

 

                "No, thank you. As if the people here have not treated me indifferently enough, I would not want to raise any more ire from them by walking around in flamboyant costumes," Taehyun replied with a small pout. He unconsciously smiled back again as he felt the soft silk enveloping his body; the robe was a little heavier than his usual one as it was weighted down by countless beads sewn upon it on the outside.

 

                "Ignore them," Minho wisely said in return. "Also, you should take note that there are no convenient holes on this robe's back like your old one had for your wings. Maybe you need to wear it with the collar opened a little wider. I'll pull the length underneath where your wings start but not that much, just below your shoulder blades," Minho suggested. The youngster then fussed over the new sash across Taehyun waist, tying it across into a pleasant looking knot, a butterfly knot if he remembered how his mom had done it. "Is it uncomfortable?" Minho asked kindly.

 

                "Are you asking about the tight sash or the revealing collar? Because I cannot breathe from the tightness and I am also conscious of my exposed chest. Both are starting to make me feel uncomfortable, Minho," the blond replied as the young teen with jet black hair simply chuckled at Taehyun's grumble. He liked it when Taehyun did not act reserved with him, complaining without worrying about troubling anyone. He felt trusted and important enough to the messenger that way.

 

                "Here, I'll loosen up the sash a bit. Your waist is freaking tiny, you need to eat more," Minho chastised lightly.

 

Taehyun grunted in relief as Minho loosened the sash but only by a degree because his waist was indeed small. Any less tight and the robe would fell over his shoulders and he would definitely get caught for public indecency by the temple guards. "I do not have to eat more. I do not function that way and you know it," the blond replied back. It was true as he did not need to consume food to survive. His body was made to only needing air, his wings needing pure water to rejuvenate its vein. He does eat occasionally but those were usually when he was curious about the taste or when there was protocol to follow at meetings. "I do eat but consuming food would not make me grow like humans do."

 

                "Magically get fat then, or pray to your lord to grant you more meat on your bones," Minho replied, bantering lightly with the blond.

 

                "I would never bother my lord for something so trivial!"

 

Minho simply laughed back at the blond's appalled face. "You're impossible. Learn to be selfish sometimes, Taehyun."

 

Taehyun rolled his eyes at the teen. He was the Lord's envoy, the holy being. He avoids selfish like a plague.

 

                "There, is the sash better?"

 

                "Yes, thank you. I can breathe easily now," Taehyun said, moving around in place to test the new garments.

 

                "No problem. But I can't really do anything about the collar, sorry. If you'd like, we can request for a seamstress to fix it for you, cut some holes behind this one and your other robes. Honestly, I don't think there's anyone in this temple skillful enough to handle this meticulously made robe," the youngster said helpfully. Taehyun simply shrugged, he needed new clothes, true — but he refused to bother anyone unnecessarily. It was not as if the whole monastery does not know of his wings already, but he does feel a little exposed.

 

                "I do not mind... This is acceptable," Taehyun replied back, already surrendering to his fate. Minho gave him an equally unenthusiastic smile, mirroring the blond's. He brought his hand up to tap at Taehyun's necklace, Taehyun's Lord's emblem resting fully on the pale chest.

 

                "You  _do_  mind. But at least this way, your Lord will get to breathe a bit. I don't think it was comfortable hiding underneath your robe all the time," Minho said, tapping at the luminous pendant with tiny galaxies inside. Taehyun brought his own palm up and laid them over Minho's warmer hand, over his necklace and chest. He supposed he did suffocate the pendant by hiding it. It was not as if he was ashamed of it, it was far than that. He treasured his Lord's crest too much, he wanted to keep it safe at all costs.

 

                "I suppose you are right."

 

                "I know I'm right."

 

                "I just feel a little too exposed. May I have my cloak back?"

 

                "That old thing? No, Taehyun. It's ugly."

 

                "I need a cloak, Minho."

 

                "If you really need one then wear a new one. There're a few you had received as gifts."

 

                "Cloaks too? Humans are wasteful."

 

                "I wouldn't complain. There's one that feels even better than your new silk robe. Come on, I'll help you put it on. Wait here," Minho said and walked away to rummage through a trunk at the edge of the room. When he came back, Minho gently put on a light brown cloak over the messenger's body, covering the platinum blond hair and red-blooded wings. "How is it?"

 

Taehyun pulled on the hood and ran his hands down the exquisite material, face morphing into a pleasant surprise for a second time that day, "This feels heavenly! What is this?" The blond asked in awe. Minho chuckled at Taehyun's apparent delight.

 

                "It could be cashmere, but I'll bet my pocket money that it's Vicuna. Neat, huh? We don't have this here too since the animal is not from our region," Minho explained but Taehyun seemed distracted with running his hands against the material. He grinned at the blond, "Do you like it? It looks nice on you, Taehyun," Minho complimented him. Taehyun nodded his head, smiling brightly.

 

                "It is wonderful," the blond replied, consumed by an endless amount of gratitude for the people who gave him all those gifts and especially for Minho, for always helping him as if it was his second nature to do so. "Thank you, Minho. For all this. I would be lost without you, truly."

 

                "Nah, it's nothing," the youngster grinned back, tying up the slim ribbon in front of the cloak for Taehyun. "There, you look super presentable now. You look like a legit seer, the most magnificent angel that came down to grace us with your presence!" Minho excitedly exclaimed out loud, whooping his fists in the air. Taehyun almost snorted at that.

 

                "Now you are just pushing it," Taehyun said and made a face at his new attire. "But if these clothes proved to be too attention-grabbing, I am going to take it off."

 

                "No no no, you can't! You look nice in it! If anyone did a double take then you'd have to blame yourself for being too pretty."

 

Taehyun sighed tiredly at that, "I supposed I cannot change my face anyway."

 

                "You know, you always worry about your looks, but you had been  _radiant_  long before people start noticing you or admire you. And you'll continue to be  _that_ no matter how hard you try to hide it. It's useless, Taehyun. Give up," Minho praised the blond so sincerely with such  _conviction_  that Taehyun could feel his face heating up.

 

He would always feel awkward when similar words were uttered to him by others, but not from Minho. Sometimes, he found himself unintentionally basking in the youngster's praises — for it felt good to be noticed.

 

                "I'll put aside the clothes you probably wouldn't mind wearing the next time you need to change. The other flamboyant ones though, let's hide it at the bottom of your trunk."

 

Taehyun chuckled at Minho's words. "Yes, let's. Oh, I cannot feel the sun anymore. Is it dusk?" Taehyun asked, walking towards his opened bedroom window. The usual warmth that came from the evening sun had drained away without him noticing, his body subtly picked up the soothing night mountain air caressing his skin.

 

                "Yeah, the sun just set," Minho replied distractedly as he folded some of the robes and tunics up to be stored away. "You hungry? Wanna go to the mass hall together?"

 

Taehyun turned around and called out to the youngster, "Minho?" He received an inattentive grunt in return. "Song Minho."

 

                "Yeah?"

 

                "Would you kindly accompany me to the Forbidden Pool? I would love to take an early bath tonight and I still have trouble getting there without a guide," the blond offered his hand towards the boy, urging him forth. He knew the youngster had been dying to visit the place after Taehyun had told him that the cardinal had given him permission to use it months ago. It shall be his thank you gift for the youngster's help with his attire.

 

Minho, who was busy folding and making sure not to damage the expensive robes, almost threw all of them in the air, eagerly skipping forward and grabbed onto Taehyun's hand, grinning from ear to ear. "You kidding? Yeah, I wanna go! Rules said that no one can step a foot there cos it's a sacred place and all. I've been trying to sneak up for ages, but the guards are even more strict than the ones at the pagoda."

 

                "You tried to sneak up to the hill?"

 

                "Yeah, ever since the cardinal let you use it. But I failed, like a lot. Getting past the guards is  _impossible,_  I'll tell you. Thing is, I told them that I wasn't up to no good, I only wanted to see  _you,_  to make sure you're okay when you went there alone. But they turned me around and kicked my butt off that place," Minho grumbled in annoyance as he wrapped his arms around the blond's neck, ready for Taehyun to take flight.

 

Taehyun's heart was warmed. He often heard of phrases like that from Minho;  _I want to make sure you're okay. I'll help you pick out your new clothes. I'll show you the town. Don't fly now, it's raining. Careful, the tea's hot. I'll walk you to your room. Was someone being mean to you? Who was it? I'll punch their faces blue._  It was endearing the way Minho showed his affection and Taehyun knew just how to pick up on it and treasure them.

 

The blond might not be on the best of a term with most of the monastery, as people were still wary of his presence even after years of him being there. But he owned the nicest, most caring people in his selected companions and he was satisfied with that. He hoped it was what he deserved for being put upon the human plane by his lord, over and over, with heavy tasks to carry out on his own.

 

The blond wrapped his arms around the youngster's torso, holding him tight. "I may need help with these new clothes, so you are coming with me. And I will make sure the cardinal and the guards will let you be with me there. It is lonely without a company on that hill," Taehyun said and flapped his wings to take off, his companion clinging to his front. "Offh, Minho, you are getting heavier. And taller too. It would not be long before you are finally too big to be carried around," Taehyun said as they flew out of the blond's bedroom window together.

 

                "I know right? It sucks. I'll miss flying in your arms. And your wings, they're starting to look healthier now, like when you first came to us during the storm," Minho said. "To your right, a little higher," he helps navigated the blond to the hill with the single, man-made pool.

 

                "It is all thanks to the water on the Forbidden Pool," Taehyun replied as he followed Minho's direction unconditionally.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

Eons ago when Taehyun came to the human plane, there were no towns or roads. There were only temples and huts where people would live in. During the period he was there, he could see the flimsy excuse of a shelter they would call home being erected sparsely throughout the lands as his mighty wings took him high above the clouds. He was always soaring the skies, observing his people's enemies; protecting them, claws constantly ready to attack, beak ready to kill. But he did not dwell on that plane for long, a thousand years the most — for the creatures he battled were already weakened by the lack of cold temperature. The creatures that would attack the humans, prosper in the frigid atmosphere but the ice was melting fast, their once thick and warm furs had ultimately brought them to their end.

 

The second time he came back, it was very much the same, but the people had made religions of their own. There was an altar for him, carved intricately in a small cave lit by lavender scented lamps in front of what he supposed was a replica of himself. His own statue, made of silver and rubies; a statue that they had made to worship. He was a creature of the woods that time; blood red eyes, sharp fangs and even sharper sense. He cannot roam the sky, but he towered over the humans, they can barely see him in the dark and he fought those who came to destroy Mother Nature. To appreciate his act of protection, the shaman; the leader of the people in the woods would sacrifice nubile young girls for him, for reasons so bizarre and unfounded. They did it to  _appease_  him, to  _honor_ him, to ask for his continuous protection. He was not fond of the people at that time.

 

This time though, he was pleasantly surprised that the human world could prosper so much in just a few spans of lifetimes. Dirt paths had turned into streets, huts into solid houses, animals were domesticated, food and services could be bought or traded. The mortals were indeed amazing, it was not a wonder why his Lord love them so much that he would send his envoys countless times to aid them from any calamity.

 

                "Seraph, would you care for some warm milk?"

 

                "Kind sir, a silver for a tray of apples?"

 

                "There's a new cloth from the east, Seraph. Come feel its wondrous texture. A fine silk for a fine person."

 

Taehyun smiled and shook his head to each vendor, politely declining any of their offers. He had grown fond of the night market in town, it was lively, and the people were not as wary of him as the monastery priests were. The townsfolk knew that he was a holy being thus he was treated kinder and with respect. Minho had shown him around the marketplace a few times, he could maneuver the streets well enough after he started memorizing the placement of stalls — from the melodic spray of the water fountain at the main plaza to the soothing smell of freshly baked loaves of bread at the end of the market street.

 

Taehyun would sometimes find himself there during the nights when Minho would be away for his training, like this night. He walked the familiar streets after dusk, where the crowd had started thinning and he could concentrate on the merry sounds of people instead of the hustle and bustle of the morning rush. It was when he arrived at the end of the street, ready to turn around and head to the fountain again to continue his trek back to the monastery that he heard a child crying. It was not loud, barely a whimper and a few sniffles but it did not escape his trained hearing.

 

The blond approached what he could only assume a forked back alley; by the lack of noise and the feeling of enclosed space. He walked down further until he was met with a little girl who was crying silently on the street. Kneeling down, Taehyun asked with the softest voice he could muster as to not scare the girl, if she was all right, “Hello, are you hurt? What is the matter?”

 

The girl gasped at him, a tiny hiccup escaped her, “Who are you?”

 

                “I am Taehyun. I am from the monastery.”

 

                “You’re not wearing a priest clothes,” the girl said back, cautious of his sudden appearance. He did not feel bad at the reaction for he was wearing his cloak that hides his wings and half his face from people. Taehyun pulled his hood back, letting his almost white hair free; as to make the girl more comfortable talking with a man who was not hiding his face.

 

                “That is correct for I am not a priest, but I do live there. Please, do not be afraid. I meant no harm, little one,” Taehyun said soothingly, smiling a kind smile. The girl wiped her tears, but the sniffles did not relent. “Why are you crying? And it is already night time, you should not wander alone outside at this hours. It is dangerous.”

 

The girl took a while to reply to his questions, she curled in further onto herself before mumbling her replies. “I went to the market for some bread… and fell when I was running back. I- I heard a scary noise and I scraped my knee. But I’m- I think I’m fine now. It hurts only a little bit," she said, clearly not wanting to be anywhere near a stranger and hoping for Taehyun to go away.

 

The blond was reluctant to do so. He could walk back to the main street and ask for help from another person, but he was worried that the moment he turned around, the girl would be gone and probably continue her wandering without supervision. And it did not help that he picked up shuffles of suspicious footsteps near them, as if someone were hiding in the dark somewhere. It could be bad people trying to do harm to the little girl.

 

Taehyun nodded his head, a worried frown formed on his forehead as he scooted a little closer to the girl carefully, “Is it bleeding?”

 

A moment, before she answered, “Yes...”

 

                “Where is it that you are hurt, child?" Another while and Taehyun heard a rustle of clothes as the girl showed him her knee.

 

                “Here,” she mumbled at a cut across the marred skin. Taehyun could not see, but he made an appropriate noise of concern anyway to let the girl know that he was paying attention to her.

 

                “I have this cloth with me, it is soft and will not hurt if it touches your cut,” Taehyun said as he pulled out a small, square scarf from between his robes. A scared gasped from the girl at his sudden action made him move a little slower, gently holding the cloth up to the child in clear view for her to see. “It is clean. Would you kindly allow me to wrap this around your wound? We should not irritate it any more than it should be.”

 

The girl bit her lip, eyeing the cloth and the blond man before her warily. “I don’t want strangers near me,” she stated, and Taehyun was a little bit proud of her.

 

                “I understand. But we need to look after it. If you are afraid, you could guide my hands to your knee. Because I am not able to see,” he replied, looking at her direction and heard the moment when she finally noticed his gray eyes.

 

                “Your eyes! Are- are you blind, mister?” She asked, her cautious tone immediately changed to a worried one — an amazing feat that only the purest of hearts could do; being concerned over someone when they themselves are in pain.

 

                “Yes, I am.”

 

                “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought you were a bad person,” she said further. She still mumbled, but Taehyun was glad to feel her tiny hand against his. She brought them to her knees and Taehyun deftly tied the cloth around her knee and moved back a little after he was done.  “Thank you, mister. I’m sorry if I was rude to you.”

 

                “You were not. It is good that you are cautious. And you may call me Taehyun. Now, do you need help getting back?” Taehyun asked, urging her to her feet. The girl reached out to pick up her fallen bag on the ground, a bag which Taehyun assumed contained her purchase from the market. She winced a little from her cut and dusted her clothes.

 

                “I’m Minseo. And it’s okay, Taehyun. I should help  _you_  get back instead,” she said. Taehyun could not help the warm feeling in his heart; for the girl was truly brought up with amazing manners. Her parents must be wonderful people.

 

                “Do not worry, Minseo. I could find my own way,” he declined politely.

 

                “But you cannot  _see_ ,” she stated clearly, mouth downturned.

 

                “Yes, but I can fly. It is how I find my way home,” the blond said, and pulled his cloak away for a tiny bit and showed her his wings. She gasped at it — not out of fear but from awe, a smile gracing her lips naturally. Taehyun immediately felt a tiny hand running lightly across his feathers, a similar feeling of wonderment as to when Minho would often touch him reverently when the boy was little.

 

                “Oh! You’re the seraph from the monastery!” She exclaimed excitedly. The blond smiled down at her, nodding in confirmation.

 

                “Yes, I am.” The sudden shuffle of muffled footsteps near them seemed to pick up. Taehyun did not like the way they were both standing in such a narrow alley, secluded and in semi-darkness. He immediately grabbed a hold of Minseo’s small hand in his and pulled her lightly to start walking down the street. “Now, shall I accompany you on your way back home? It is already night and it might be dangerous for you to walk alone.”

 

                “Okay! Thank you very much, Taehyun,” she said, holding and swinging their hands slightly.

 

                “You are most welcome, Minseo.”

 

The walk back to her home was further than Taehyun had assumed and he had almost scolded her for being so far away from home at night. Her house was at the edge of the town, in the middle of the field where the smell of grass and open air surrounded them pleasantly. The sound of subtle lullaby and clanking pots came from a modest looking home, Minseo ran to the front door and threw it open.

 

                “Mom, I’m back!” she shouted to the whole house. Taehyun stood a few steps away from the front door, waiting for an adult to come and greet her home.

 

                “Minseo! Where have you been? I was so worried!” A female came rushing forward and gave her a hug, kneeling before the girl with the sound of a crying baby and a dog barking coming somewhere from inside the house. “Your father’s not home yet, and your baby brother won’t stop crying and you’re late! I’m almost in tears myself!” The lady hugged the girl closer, then gave the little girl a once over to make sure that she was fine. Minseo smiled back at her mother and pushed the relieved woman's messy bangs back behind her ears.

 

                “I’m sorry, mom. I fell and cut my knee but Taehyun helped me!” Minseo exclaimed excitedly and pulled her mother outside.

 

                "Taehyun? Who's Taehyun, sweetie?"

 

Taehyun nodded his greetings as he heard footsteps of them approaching, “Hello, ma’am."

 

                “Oh my, Seraph!" The lady gasped in pleasant surprise. "I- I didn’t notice you there. Please forgive me, I- I'm Mrs. Shin and oh my… the house is a  _mess_  but, thank you for bringing Minseo home. Would you like to come in? Please, have something to drink or eat,” she offered as she held onto his hand, urging him inside. She was thrilled to be given a chance to meet and talk with the servant of God,  _a holy being_  — face to face. It was a surreal experience; the man before her was  _indeed_  a being of his own, with his translucent skin and white powdery hair, his gray eyes that seemed to shine even when they were still.

 

Taehyun shook his head and declined her invitation graciously. “It is fine, I had only wanted to make sure that Minseo arrived home safe. I best get going now, it is late," he excused himself, patting her hand back apologetically. "Sorry, I could not stay for long."

 

                “No, no, it's quite alright. Thank you very much, Seraph. I wish I could pay you for your kindness," the lady said and bowed lowly at him, showing him her gratitude. He bowed back and motioned for the two to go on inside, it was late, and he knew very well that they were being followed only until half the way there. He hoped those people had already given up on their tail. Furthermore, he was glad that even though the man of the house was not yet home, the cozy household seemed to have a pet dog with them that would at least alert them of any danger.

 

                “It is nothing. Please, do go inside. I hope we will meet again, Minseo," Taehyun said his good-bye to the girl, waving in what he assumed would be her general direction.

 

Minseo waved enthusiastically back, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Good night, Taehyun! Thank you very much!" She bowed as low as her mother did, learning her manners from her.

 

Taehyun waved back one last time. He turned around and walked a few steps forward before shifting his cloak towards the middle of his back, his red wings spreading wide underneath the moonlight. He flapped them a few times, ready to take off before he heard thundering footsteps came running towards him from the woods.

 

                “Get him!"

 

He was immediately tackled to the ground, the impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Mrs. Shin and Minseo's shouts of alarmed reached him at the same time as another person's angry command told him to  _'stay the fuck down.'_  The stranger pulled at the messenger's arms roughly behind his back, a knee pressed painfully between his shoulder blades and Taehyun felt the coarse texture of a rope trying to tie him up. Realizing the dangerous situation, the blond started to struggle underneath his two attackers, shouting and kicking them away.

 

                "Let me go! Who are you?!"

 

                “Shut up!" The rope was messily tied around, slipping every time the blond struggled to get away. "Shit, he’s strong!" One of the men behind him grunted. He pulled against Taehyun's shoulder, almost dislocating it as the blond trashed even harder underneath them. "Fuck man! We should've gone for the kid!"

 

Another one of the thugs emerged from within the darkened trees and ran towards Minseo and her mother. "Run! Get inside! Lock the doors!" Taehyun shouted to the females and Mrs. Shin wasted no time in doing so, carrying her shocked and crying daughter away as she caught sight of the man coming after them.

 

                "Mom, Taehyun! Help him!  _Let him go!_ " Minseo screamed at the men with tears flowing down her frightened face before the front door was slammed shut at the threatening thug. The man then pulled out his hatchet axe that he hid underneath his shirt, behind his back and started to strike the door down, axing and kicking the wooden slab violently. "Go away!!" Mrs. Shin's voiced screamed at her attacker with the dog barking non-stop from inside.

 

Taehyun doubled his effort in throwing the two men behind him off, he scratched himself on the sharp rocks on the ground while trying to turn around but gave it no mind. He managed to land a kick at one of their faces and shoved the other away hard. Taehyun quickly scrambled to get away but before he could take a step forward, his cloak was pulled back roughly, choking him as he stumbled back onto the ground, falling with a grunt.

 

                "Screw the kid! Grab him!"

 

The man at the door gave up on trying to tear the entrance down and ran to his buddies, helping the other two to subdue the blond. Taehyun screamed at them to let go, his wings gave him an extra leverage as their powerful flaps helped with his struggling, rebuking the forceful hands from capturing him.

 

                “Holy shit, man! He's strong! We’ve never taken an adult before man, fuck! What should we do?"

 

                "Deck him!" A heavy blow hit Taehyun's forehead, not a second after those words were said. It was a shocking strike; splitting his eyebrow as harsh ringing filled his ear. Taehyun curled in on himself on the ground as he brought a hand up to his bleeding head, groaning in pain.

 

                "Fucking  _demon,_ " one man said angrily and backhanded Taehyun's face. The blond knew his face will bruise badly soon. "Let's just cut his wings off! Stop him from getting away!" The man suggested while turning the messenger around, the blond's face against the dirt and the thug pressed his knee again on Taehyun's back. The rope was back to trying to tie his arms up.

 

                "Yeah, let's cut em. I'm sure some rich, sick fuck somewhere would appreciate this pair of hideous twins," the one beside him agreed readily, spitting a bloody, broken tooth out that Taehyun had managed to kick him with when he was struggling. Within his blurred mind, Taehyun knew he needed to get away or suffer a gruesome fate. His cloak was forcefully removed and one of the thugs pulled harshly at his left wing, making him shout in pain. "Woah, shit man. They're seriously attached to his back. Will it be like hacking his arms off? Is he gonna die from blood loss?"

 

Another one who was holding the blond's shoulders down grew agitated when he saw the wings, it was huge and bloody red, unreal — there was certainly no forgiveness for the sins they were about to deal to the holy being. "I don't fucking care, dickward! Do it quick! If he dies on us, at least his wings would worth fucking loads!"

 

                "Damn, okay, all right."

 

Taehyun heard a blade being unsheathed behind him, he struggled even harder as he felt his wing being pulled and the cold surface of a blade resting alarmingly at the base of it, where his wing met his body.

 

                "No!  _Stop!_ " Taehyun shouted, arms being tied up haphazardly as he thrashes around to get away. He felt a deep cut started slicing a part of his wing's tendon and screamed desperately for help.

 

                "Shut up! Stop struggling, you fool! Wha- what the-?" They heard an angry dog barking before the man holding the blade was attacked by a huge canine, the dog biting the man's arm viciously until blood started to pour. "Shit! Fucking dog! Help me!" He screamed for his friends who had scampered away at the appearance of the angry mutt. The Great Dane growled threateningly at them.

 

The sound of a gunshot rang loud in the air, startling everyone as a man; clad in hunting gears and a heavy coat, ran forward from the direction of the west wood, "Who are you people?! Why are you at my house?!" The hunter cocked his shotgun and the thugs tripped over their own feet to make their escape.

 

                "Shit! He's got a shotgun! Run, stupid! Run!" The one holding an axe sprinted towards the woods. His partner who was bitten had managed to get away too, freaking out at his bloodied arm. The big black dog gave chase immediately, much to his owner's worry and confusion.

 

                "Wait, come back here boy!" The hunter holding the shotgun was about to run after them too but stumbled back in surprise when he saw Taehyun suddenly took off with his wings into the night sky, one thug shouting in fear when he realized he was flying with the blond.

 

                "Shit! Holy shit! You're not getting away, demon!" The man swore, trying to grab a hold at one of the blond's wings. Taehyun kicked and pushed at the man clinging to his waist blindly, trying to get him off.

 

While they were scuffling in the air, Taehyun accidentally flew straight into a tall tree fast, knocking the winds off his lungs. The man lost his grip from the impact and crashed onto the forest floor hard with a shout; the sound of broken branches and a muffled thud at the end reached the disoriented messenger's ears dully.

 

Head dizzy and hands shaking, Taehyun hovered on top of the woods, trying to get his bearings. He then flew aimlessly towards what he hoped would be the direction of the monastery, trying hard to pick up the familiar sounds of the temple.

 

He managed to get back in one piece, falling onto his hands and knees at the courtyard near the dormitory wings, panting hard and his heart beating a mile per minute. A couple of young priests gasped in worried shock at the messenger's sudden disheveled appearance. "S-seraph! Are you okay? You're bleeding!" One of the teenagers said and rushed forward to try and help the stumbling blond who was getting on his feet but Taehyun slapped the boy's hand away instinctively.

 

                "I- I am... fine. Please, do not worry. I need to go, I- I need-" his words came out in a confusing blurt and Taehyun hurried forward into the building, leaving both his words and the young priests hanging.

 

Taehyun kept his wings wrapped around him, covering himself fully and clutched his ruined robe as tightly as he could. He rushed forward to his room, miraculously reaching it in record time and slammed the door close after he entered. He collapsed onto his bed, curling in and pulling his injured wings into his hold, fingers running carefully against the quivering feathers.

 

He stayed there, shivering in fear and boiling in  _anger_  at what had just happened to him. He cocooned himself in the security of his wings but still feeling so lost and vulnerable. His whole body was in pain; his bleeding head, bruising skin, sore shoulders and aching arms. One of his wings would not stop throbbing in pain after it suffered being pulled roughly and almost cut in half. The painful feeling was so new and unpleasant. He had never hated his human-like body so much at that moment,  _despised_  it even for being so weak. He wished he could just fly back to the sky and smite the thugs from the safety of his paradise.

 

                "Taehyun?..." A hand came and touch his knee but with lightning speed the blond had scrambled away and pasted himself at the head of the bed, one hand hastily trying to grab anything on his nightstand to throw at the sudden voice. "Woah, hey! Don't! It's me, Taehyun. It's Minho! Calm down!"

 

Taehyun's frantic hands paused in his actions, "M-Minho?"

 

                "Yeah, it's me. Just me. Sorry, I startled you. I'm sorry. It's okay, Taehyun."

 

                "Minho... I- I apologize, I- I was-"

 

                "Taehyun, it's okay. You don't need to say sorry to me. Are you okay? What happened?" Minho asked gently, trying not to frighten the blond any more than he already was. "You're hurt."

 

The teen had just come back from an assignment at his home village. His hometown at the top of a hill was a safe haven for orphans and special-needs children but there would always be  _scoundrels_  trying to kidnap the kids; and this time it was a syndicate that Minho and his team needed to deal with. He came back sweaty and exhausted, he was about to head over to the mass hall for a quick bite when one of his friends had urgently told him of Taehyun's worrying state. Minho ran straight to the blond's room to find his messenger looking upset and terrified, trembling alone on his bed, curled up so miserably in his dirty robe and bleeding head.

 

                 "Taehyun? Can I come closer?"

 

The blond took a while, but he nodded slowly in the end, Minho immediately scooted closer across the bed. His hands tilted Taehyun's head up, accessing the cut on his forehead, the split lip, the beginning of bruises on his face and arms.

 

                "I am fine..." Taehyun mumbled.

 

Minho kept quiet. He was afraid if he were to open his mouth, he would blow and went on a rampage to find who was responsible for hurting the messenger so severely. He pulled his hands back, noticing how it had started to shake in pure rage. He needed to punch something, or  _someone,_  hopefully Taehyun's attacker — turning their face inside out while at it. His anger shot up fast as Minho swiftly stood up and moved away from the blond, worried if he might accidentally hurt the man in his rage. Minho went to the door, gritting his teeth as he said, "Don't move. I'll treat your wounds."

 

                "Minho, are you angry?" Taehyun's voice asked emptily. Minho had no idea how the blond could even  _think_  that Minho would ever be mad at him; not now, not ever.

 

                "...yes. I'm angry."

 

                "At me?..."

 

                "Never at you. Stay, I'll be right back."

 

Even if Minho was telling him the truth, the sound of the slamming door pricked painfully into his chest. Taehyun was a mess of self-loathing and anger for what had happened to him. He swore right there and then that he would  _never_ bring trouble to himself ever again if it will only bring the kindhearted Minho to react so spitefully to the situation.

 

When Minho had come back to the room, Taehyun could still feel the seething anger from him. The teen cleaned his bloodied face silently, dabbed soothing ointment on his wrists and aching shoulders. Minho quietly helped Taehyun to take his muddied robe off, telling him to sit facing the other way on the bed so he could start treating his wings next. One of the soft membranes of Taehyun's wing had been torn from the middle and down to the joint at the tip. It was definitely the worst of his injuries. Although it was not bleeding, it clearly hurt the blond very badly.

 

Minho gathered a long, sturdy needle and a solid thread from a small pouch in the aid satchel that he borrowed from the infirmary, running the pin over candlelight fire. He took a deep, calming breath before laying back his eyes to examine the ragged tear, forcing his uptight fingers to gingerly touch the wing. Taehyun grimaced, the straight line of his pale, bruising back stiffened briefly when Minho pierced the needle through the very top of the tear.

 

                "Who did this, Taehyun?" Minho gritted out his question once he started on the actual stitching, weaving the thread in a single-minded focus on his self-appointed task.

 

Taehyun remained silent for a moment. He was handling the continuous piercing pain pretty well, all things considered. But Minho had a suspicion that the blond had probably built up some kind of strong tolerance to not worry him. His anger grew even more at that. "Some men — thugs, I am not sure. Kidnappers maybe. They only target children," the blond revealed at length.

 

                "Then, how did this happened?"

 

                "I found a lost little girl and helped her get back home. The thugs jumped me at the fields."

 

                "The girl was with you when it happened?"

 

                "Yes, but her mother brought her to safety, to their house, before it got worse."

 

                "Why did they go after you then? Kidnappers don't usually act out of their method of operating. They wouldn't change their target so suddenly."

 

                "They learned of my wings."

 

                "And?"

 

                "They had wanted to cut them off. They wanted to  _sell_  them."

 

It was quiet for a few heavy seconds, long enough for Taehyun to picked up the small quake coursing through Minho's sewing hands. Taehyun could tell that Minho was trying to reign in his burning anger, again. That was why the blond was reluctant to share the event with the teen for fear of rising his fury, but he  _cannot_  keep it in the dark towards the one person who undoubtedly cares for him the most.

 

                "Minho?" Taehyun called out carefully, tentatively.

 

                "Hm?"

 

                "Please do not get mad."

 

A few careful loops went through the torn tissue, Minho's stare burned on Taehyun's back. "I'm not."

 

                "Then why are you using your  _angry tone_  with me?" Just then Taehyun hissed loudly and arched away from Minho, his wing gave a startled tug as the needle accidentally pierced too close to a delicate vein that even he did not know existed. Minho frowned and clamped his hand down on Taehyun's bare shoulder, squeezing once to steady the blond.

 

                "You okay?" Minho asked with concern.

 

                "Yes..."

 

                "I'm sorry, Taehyun. My bad. I'll be more careful," Minho apologized for both the unexpected needle and his unpleasant mood since the start of the ordeal. "You know it's not you, I would never get mad at you. You've been through shit and... I'm sorry," Minho said again and Taehyun released a small whimper at the pain in his wing but shook his head nonetheless, not wanting to start a fight between them.

 

Minho started again, his needle moved a little slower, he forced himself to be more careful. But he was distracted now that he learned of how Taehyun had looked like when in pain; of how his gray eyes would pinched shut at the sudden agony, of how he would unintentionally curl away from the source of his torment. The teen was suddenly having trouble keeping his eyes focused on the wing he was sewing back up. His cold stare kept straying to the slopes of Taehyun's purpling shoulders, there were rope burns on his once smooth arms, the soft line of his back quivered each time the needle pierces his wing. Minho was  _livid._

 

Once the wound had been sewn back completely together, Minho leaned in and took the thread between his teeth, shearing off the extra length as close as he could to the knot he had tied. He glanced up at the blond who was hunching away, hiding his face between his knees. Taehyun had always looked  _delicate_  but now, under the soft glow of the candle lights and his bruising body — he looked even more fragile and heartbrokenly forsaken.

 

The teen gritted his teeth in anger, "Bring me there." He demanded as he tucked the needle and the remaining thread away. Taehyun kept silent, he refused to raise his head or even acknowledge Minho's request. He does not want any more trouble. "Taehyun, please bring me there," Minho said again, gently this time as he rested his head against the blond's cold back.

 

                "Why?" Taehyun whispered his question. "I just want to forget."

 

                "Taehyun, I know you like to keep your problems to yourself but... I need you to know — that I  _care_ for you. Don't do this alone. Whatever that gave you pain, whatever it is that made you worry; let me deal with it. Let me fix it, because I care  _too_  much for you," the teen said and then he gently lifted the feathery wing that he had just sewn and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss at the tattered surface. The messenger's breath hitched at the contact.

 

                "Please, Taehyun," he pleaded again, he brought his lips up to land gently on the bruised shoulder, then further up to the blond's temple on the side of his cut forehead. Minho's warm arms encircled Taehyun's waist, "I will  _find_  them. I will  _catch_  them, each and every one of those who hurt you. They'll pay for doing this to you, for hurting God's messenger."

 

                "I always thought..." Taehyun started to whisper and Minho leaned in forward, head hovering slightly over the blond' shoulder but not resting on the bruised skin. He made a curious sound at the blond's reluctance to continue, urging him with gentle strokes of his hands over the pale abdomen

 

                "Tell me, Taehyun."

 

                "I always thought that my Lord would protect me. I know he's up there, watching. I know..." The blond started to tremble, he curled even smaller into himself, hands gripping his own body tightly. Minho grazed his hands over Taehyun's ribs, over bruised abs that caved slightly under his touch. The teen hushed the man in his arms when Taehyun started to shake quietly.

 

                "I know he's up there, but I need him  _down_  here, and it's painful and it's  _selfish_  of me but sometimes I just feel so lost and  _scared._  When nothing came to my aid when the thugs wanted to cut my wings, I feel like he had abandoned me — when I'm supposed to be one of his precious servants. Why didn't he punished those men for  _hurting_  me?" Taehyun choked out finally and Minho tightened his hold further; wanting nothing more than to protect the blond from any of his sorrow, wanting to chase all the worries in his life away.

 

The teen took in his own deep calming breath, urging the blond to breathe slowly with him. He murmured his vows against the messenger's shaking back. "Taehyun,  _anything,_  or  _anyone_  that gave you grief, will get their retribution. Believe me."

 

 

 

 

—  Weeks went by after Minho had  _sworn_  his unsettling words to the blond that night. During those anxious days, Taehyun did not leave the temple grounds. At all. He refused to meet with the cardinal or any senior priests, he did not visit the town, he dropped by other sections of the monastery only in the mornings and most importantly — he did not bring Minho to the field where he was attacked.

 

                "Taehyun," Minho called out to him from the blond's bedroom door one night. Taehyun shifted his attention from his borrowed Braille book from the library to the teen entering his room. "Hey, remember the little girl you helped save from being kidnap?" Minho asked casually as he strolled into the room. Taehyun felt a little wary of his cheery tone, there was something off about the teen.

 

                "I do... Shin Minseo was her name," Taehyun replied, noticing that Minho had come to stand before him. Taehyun could tell the different sound of clothing between Minho's lighter monastery robe or his heavier training military garb, and he was wearing the latter when the jiggle of his gears and buckles gave him away. He probably had just gotten back from an impromptu assignment since the teen never went away without telling Taehyun about it.

 

                "Yes, Minseo. She's a smart little girl. I met her, did I tell you? Just a few days back."

 

                "What? Where?"

 

                "At the town. She showed me her house, met her mom and all after I told her I know you."

 

                "Oh. Is she... doing fine? Minseo?"

 

                "Yes. Her dad gave her his smaller hunting dog to accompany her everywhere she goes since they owned two. When I said smaller I meant  _terribly huge_  though, Great Danes are humongous dogs."

 

                "I see. That is good to hear. I was worried she would have... an unpleasant memory of what happened that day."

 

                "She's okay but don't you want to see for yourself? She wants to see you, you know?" Minho said, both hands stayed curiously in his pockets since he came in, which was weird since the teen had never passed up a chance to touch Taehyun whenever they were together. "And I sorta promised her that I'll bring you there to ease her mind. So, let's go tomorrow?" He asked the blond, smiling easily down at him.

 

Taehyun closed his book and gingerly put it aside on his nightstand. He brushed his bangs behind his ear, a nervous habit of his and replied, "Minho, I do not think I can... I am unsure if I am ready to venture out yet. My wounds-"

 

                "Are completely healed."

 

                "Yes, they have. But my  _mind..._  is not. I am still wary of the town. Of remembering the helpless feeling the last time I was there."

 

                "I'm here," Minho said simply. "You'll be with me, and don't worry, nothing will come after you. I've made sure of it," the teen said in such  _surety_  that Taehyun had finally noticed what had made him feel unsettled when Minho first walked in. It was faint, but Taehyun could pick up the iron scent from the teen before him. More accurately, from the teen's hidden hands. It was the smell of  _blood._

 

                "Believe me, Taehyun. I'll take care of you," Minho grinned at him.

 

                 _'Anything or anyone that gave you grief, will get their retribution. Believe me,'_  — was what Minho had said. Taehyun understood then that if the retribution will not come from his Lord, then it will come from Minho's own hands.

 

Taehyun swallowed heavily. He knew then that the thugs had been properly dealt with, probably very  _personally_  by Minho, without the monastery knowing anything about it. And Taehyun was disturbed that he was both relieved for himself and frightened for Minho's sake.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

The library was silent at night, especially so during winters when the night was colder and longer, inviting everyone to their beds earlier than usual. It was a complete contrast to how it was during the days — where there were hustle and bustle of novices doing their revisions or running errands filled the room with lively noises. Taehyun found himself unmindful of the chaos, for the section he was usually as was at the very back of the library, the furthest nook in that place where the braille books were kept. He learned a lot from the books and it helped him passed his time when the cardinal did not need him or if Minho was away for training.

 

_"I'm going to my village today. Jiho's orphanage needs some help in fixing their collapsed rafter from the heavy rain a few nights ago. They don't have enough money to hire proper builder so; I'm going."_  — Minho had told him that morning; clad in his dark training gears, kissing the scar on Taehyun's forehead chastely. It had become a habit for the teen to lay a gentle peck on the scar, always so wistfully, as if he was feeling  _guilty_  for it. And Taehyun lets him if it meant for Minho to feel better in the end.

 

Taehyun knew that Minho thrives in affections and selflessness. It showed in every action of his; the way he talks, the way he acts, the way he responds to people. He cares  _too much,_  sometimes even blindly. Taehyun had learned long ago that even though Minho choose to stay at the monastery, he was also very attached to his hometown. He comes and goes to his village; which was far on the northern side, so very often. Even disregarding his strength and lethargy countless times.

 

Minho came from the high hills, not as far as Jinwoo's home island but further away than Hoon's opened field of a village situated picturesquely between the tea valleys. Those four of Taehyun's precious companions had their own colorful dialects to their words; Seungyoon's surprisingly thicker with his, funny since his family were from the towns. It was fascinating to Taehyun. Not only did those four came from different places, they each had different personalities that the blond did not think would match well, but they did.

 

In fact, a pair of them matched too well that Taehyun had accidentally caught them kissing each other with abandon at the furthest part of the library, near his braille isles.

 

                "Are you both lovers now?" Taehyun asked the teens as they both separated themselves in a startled gasp. Mirroring looks of shock and embarrassment colored their faces.

 

                "T-Taehyun! How long have you been standing there?" Seungyoon asked in a frantic voice, trying to right his and Jinwoo's disheveled robes discreetly. Taehyun did not see the point of doing that when he was blind. It was not as if they could unintentionally flash him their bits.

 

                "Long enough for me to be 100% certain that it is indeed you two kissing from the sound of your moans and not anybody else," Taehyun replied with a straight face.

 

                " _Oh god,_  please stop. This is mortifying," Seungyoon said while hiding his reddening face behind his hands. The teen then turned around and glared at his partner, "I told you it's risky!" He pinched the older teen's side and Jinwoo squeaked at it.

 

                "Sorry! Hahaha! And I'm sorry you had to see that, Taehyun," Jinwoo said, laughing and blushing while hiding halfway behind his taller companion. He did not sound sorry at all in Taehyun's opinion. "It won't happen again."

 

                "I do not mind," Taehyun quickly told them, shaking his head slightly and shrugged. He was not offended, and it was not his place to comment on who they choose to pair up with, but he was a little taken aback that they would be so intimate in such an open space. "You two are free to share your affections all you want but honestly, it is  _inappropriate_  to be so bold in public. In a library no less."

 

                "Yeah, sorry," Seungyoon started to apologize too, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "It's inappropriate, yes. And the rules said not to be in a romantic relationship until we're of age, I know. We'll get expelled if we're caught-"

 

                "That's why I  _like_  it! It's thrilling!" Jinwoo chirped in, grabbing at Seungyoon's arm with a giddy smile. The younger teen sputtered at Jinwoo's frank declaration. "Please don't think badly of Seungyoon though, he's only indulging my whims," Jinwoo said to Taehyun. An understandable worry, for Seungyoon was an exemplary priest in training; modest and disciplined, public display of affection was surely not an interest of his.

 

Taehyun nodded, he pondered if even the smartest brain could turn dumb in front of the person they love. Because Seungyoon was known to be smart and careful in his every action. And yet here he was; being a willing participant in Jinwoo's absurd request. "I would not. And you would not get expelled. Both of you are important to the monastery."

 

                "We are?" Jinwoo asked, blinking in confusion. Because as far as he knows, they were merely one of many other priests in training. They were not anyone special.

 

                "Yes," Taehyun nodded. He did not explain any further and both teens did not question his words. An awkward silence fell between the three of them.

 

                "I did not know that you two are together. Is this a secret that I have to burdensomely keep now?" Taehyun asked, already accepting his toilsome fate. He should not have ventured too far into the library. But he was surprised that he had only encountered teenagers frolicking in hiding this once considering most of the teens were at the age where courtship and sex were at the top of their heads.

 

                "Don't sound so off-put, Taehyun! You should  _celebrate_ love! It's a joyous feeling," Jinwoo said lightheartedly, clinging to Seungyoon's arm still.

 

                "I have read stories on love, most of them did not end joyously," Taehyun said, walking away to head to his reading table with his new book. The two teens unsurprisingly followed along.

 

                "You need to stop reading tragic tales, Taehyun. They're a downer. You're already indifferent enough towards everything, don't encourage  _more_ of that bleakness in you," Seungyoon started his usual scolding as someone who was always overly concerned about everyone else.

 

The blond chuckled lightly at that. "The tales were logical. It may not be idealistic but because of that, it is comforting to me," he said, sitting down on an empty chair to begin reading the new book he picked. It was the history of a ruined dynasty a few centuries ago and their incompetent leaders; what a great read indeed.

 

                "Tragic tales of deaths and unhappy endings  _comforts_  you? You and I have different views on what comfort means then," Seungyoon commented and took a seat opposite of the blond, Jinwoo immediately sat on the younger's side and leaned his head on Seungyoon's bony shoulders.

 

                "As someone who  _enjoys_  breaking rules and longs for the thrill of getting busted, I do not think you have that much right to judge me. Getting frisky and sucking each other's mouths while worrying about the possibility of getting caught in public cannot be all that  _comfortable,"_  Taehyun countered back with a smirk. If he had a tea with him, he would dramatically sip it when saying that. He was going to tease them for ages for their earlier naughty fanfare.

 

Seungyoon had the decency to feel flustered at Taehyun's comments but Jinwoo just giggled his usual pleasant laughter at their antics. "It's enlivening, Taehyun! Inspiriting! Freeing!"

 

                "That's what homeless, tree-hugging enthusiasts would say," Seungyoon mumbled his reply to Jinwoo's sudden enthusiasm. "And most of them suffered a loose screw or two. Not you though, you're just mischievously  _wanton_ ," the younger said affectionately and bumped their heads together, smiling softly at the shorter man.

 

Jinwoo did not seem to mind the teasing, he gushed to Taehyun instead, eyes twinkling and tone gossipy, "You should be able to relate, Taehyun. There's nothing quite like the rush of excitement building up in you. Like, you're familiar with the feeling of being on  _cloud nine_  — literally. And if I'm correct, there's a saying that goes; you'll never reach heaven if you're scared of getting high."

 

Taehyun's face colored in skepticism at Jinwoo's words. If Jinwoo's quoting the monastery's scripture and not some questionable song preference of his then Taehyun was pretty sure the sayings did not go that way at all. "I am fairly certain it says;  _aiming_  high instead. Aiming high means to push oneself, getting high means to be daring and reckless," the blond said, tutting at him.

 

The bubbly teen simply shrugged his shoulders, a pleasant smile never leaving his lips. He rested his chin on the heel of his palm on the flat surface, the other linking fingers with Seungyoon's underneath the table. "Well Taehyun, I believe  _pushing_  oneself, and  _daring_  oneself is the same difference. Two sides of the same coin. You need to embrace both to live life fully! Am I right, Seungyoonie?" Jinwoo nudged the younger's hip with his, asking for a backup.

 

                "Don't look at me when you're trying to justify your  _kink_ ," Seungyoon replied, tracing the bumps in Taehyun's book since the blond did not seem that much interested in it in favor to talking with his older lover. Jinwoo pouted at his lack of response. He attached himself to Seungyoon's arm again, eyes dancing in mirth.

 

                "Let's not make it complicated," he blinked innocently up at his surprised partner. "A kink is something you'd do with someone you trust, aren't you happy I trust you  _the most?_ " Jinwoo asked with a grin. Seungyoon shrugged.

 

                "Eh, flattering."

 

                "So cute, Seungyoonie!" Jinwoo pinched the younger's full cheek. "Stop pretending. You like indulging me, be honest. If not, we'd be like Taehyun and Minho and that's just frustrating and sad," Jinwoo nodded sagely to himself, agreeing with his own words. Taehyun raised a questioning eyebrow at the talkative teen, he seemed to have missed a major point somewhere in their winding conversation. What was it again Jinwoo had said about him and Minho being sad and frustrating?

 

                "Pardon me but what did you say just now? About us? What do you mean, Jinwoo?" Taehyun asked.

 

                "Seriously? You and Minho have been dancing around each other for  _years!"_  He exclaimed, a little bewildered at Taehyun's question. "No offense but we're not  _blind_  and it's obvious what you two have. Don't you think it's about time you should let each other know? About your feelings?" Jinwoo asked, tilting his head and smiling eagerly at the blond sitting before him.

 

                "What... feelings?" Taehyun asked for clarification.

 

Jinwoo blinked once in surprise, "Love."

 

                "Love?"

 

                "Yes, confess your love."

 

                "Confess my love?"

 

                "Yeah, towards Minho."

 

                "Minho?"

 

                "Yeah! You like him, don't you?"

 

                "I like him?"

 

The older teen turned worryingly at Seungyoon. "I think I might have broken Taehyun," Jinwoo said in a whisper.

 

                "W-what..." Taehyun swallowed nervously once before continuing, "What makes you think that I like him? That we would  _love_  each other?"

 

Jinwoo shared an amused look with Seungyoon. He leaned forward on the table again, voice light when he raised one finger to start counting his points and said, "Well, first of all, he cares about you a lot. Like really,  _very_  much. You're all he ever talks about. Second of all," he raised a second finger. "You indulge his whims unconditionally. Third; Minho runs back to you every single time when he could. Fourth; you only let him touch you. You  _hate_  people touching you. But like you're okay with me, Seungyoonie and Hoon too but you kind of tolerate us, unlike Minho where you actually  _welcome_  him. You see?"

 

                "I do... Huh. I do, don't I?"

 

                "Fifth; Minho makes you smile. Like, literally glowing kind of smile. Not your usual default smile, or your  _trying_  to be polite smile, but the really cute, honest and reaches your eyes kind of smile. It's beautiful. I'd give you more, but my other hand is busy holding on to Seungyoon's underneath the table."

 

                "Yup," the younger teen nodded in confirmation.

 

                "And... you believe all of that is love?" Taehyun questioned further.

 

                "Are you saying it's not?" Jinwoo countered back cheekily. Taehyun did not own any definite answer to that.

 

What Jinwoo had stated about him and Minho were true, he just had not really noticed it all this while. It was  _normal_  for him to be so comfortable around Minho, and it was second nature for Minho to always care for the blond in any way he could. Honestly, he was not sure if it was  _love,_  but for him — it was an  _attachment_  from his side. For Minho, it could be  _devotion_  instead. And they both confide in each other because of their undeniable trust towards one another.

 

What do you call a combination of affection, attachment, devotion, and trust if it is not  _love?_  Taehyun wondered.

 

The messenger fiddled around with the hem of his sleeves then, running his fingers over the many beads on his silky robe distractedly. He pushed his bangs away, unsure if it was acceptable of him to be so attached to someone from that plane when he was not even one of them.

 

                "What is Minho to you, Taehyun?" Seungyoon gently asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Is Minho just a friend?"

 

Taehyun pondered over Seungyoon's question but it did not take him long to shake his head slowly, "No, he was never just a friend. He has been  _more_  than that so very long ago. He is someone I could trust. He is more..."

 

                "How so?"

 

                "I do not know how exactly to describe Minho. He is... a lot of things. He is my shelter, but he is also my storm in a way. I cannot explain how he sometimes makes me shiver but he also keeps me warm. It is perplexing what he makes me feel, but it also made so much sense for me to feel this way."

 

Seungyoon whistled at the blond's winding and surprisingly heavy confession, "Sounds complicated."

 

                "But, like I said, it doesn't have to be complicated," Jinwoo piped up from his seat, having listened to everything Taehyun had to say. "Is he perfect for you? Does he make you feel safe?"

 

Taehyun nodded his head, "He has flaws but for me he's perfect. And yes, I feel the safest with him."

 

                "Then it's love," Jinwoo stated simply, a satisfied smile came to grace his lips once again. "It doesn't have to be romantic; what you and Minho have. I don't have to look for  _I love you's_  from you both to know that it's love. It's the way he treasures you, the simple way he makes you laugh, the way you let him be the only one you trust to keep you safe. I think those are enough."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

It was exactly twenty-four hours later, well into the night of the next day, was when Taehyun  _still_  found himself pondering over Jinwoo's words. From the books, he had learned that love was a torrent of lust and desire, consuming both parties in endless rapture. But maybe he was reading the wrong kind of books — for there were other tales of loyalty, trust, and devotion; and they were equally beautiful too. And he was surprised that he had no qualms about painting love in the latter color, where passion does not rule them all, but adoration and tolerance does.

 

Taehyun sighed, he was unsure of this newly-realized attachment of his to Minho. He was sent down to aid all mankind and yet if he were given a choice between mankind or Minho, he had a suspicion that he would choose the teen. And that means he would fail his duty as his Lord's envoy. Taehyun was confused about his own standing in the mortal world. What was he allowed to  _do?_  What kind of emotions was he allowed to  _feel?_  How far was he allowed to make the plane feel like  _home?_

 

His lord did not provide him with an answer because his lord simply commanded him to aid the people and nothing more. And he was afraid to admit that he sometimes felt bitter when his lord systematically chooses who Taehyun could aid and who he could not — without enlightening him of the reasons behind it. He knew he should not feel like a mere puppet in all of this, when in truth he was doing the holiest task a being such as himself had the honor to do. Other similar beings up there would cry in endless gratitude for completing their lord's bidding as a faithful servant.

 

                "Pardon me, Seraph," a voice called out to him a few distances away in the corner of the library, jolting the blond out of his seat from his deep thoughts. Taehyun who had turned quickly around at the voice behind him, held his chest in surprised, heart beating loudly. "I- I'm sorry for startling you. It wasn't my intention to caught you off guard. I called you three times but maybe you didn't hear me," the young man said, voice almost familiar but Taehyun could not pinpoint it for sure. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, Seraph."

 

                "N-no. It is quite alright. I apologize too, I was... zoning out. May I ask who you are?" Taehyun inquired while trying to calm his racing heart at the same time.

 

                "It's me, Seraph. It's Kwang Taek. I have a message from the high priest Advisor Sung Ki," the teenager said, head bowed down and not daring to step into the candlelight any further. Taehyun immediately recognized the name, it was the youngster who Minho had gotten into a fight with because of Taehyun. The lanky teenager before him had done the monastery shame, thus was sent to detention and given side labor as punishment.

 

                "I remember you, Kwang Taek."

 

                "I- I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to come anywhere near you, I remember the cardinal's words but — no one else could deliver this message as no one you'd know is around at the moment. I searched for Minho and Seungyoon. Even the seniors Jinwoo and Hoon are not around. And I'm unfamiliar with the maids that take care of your room to ask them to deliver the advisor's message," Kwang Taek hurriedly rambled on his reasons for being there, probably in fear of Minho's and the cardinal's wrath for being in the same room with Taehyun after the stunt he pulled last time.

 

The blond simply shook his head, smiling kindly to calm the frantic teenager. "Kwang Taek, I understand. Please do not worry. Tell me what it is that the advisor had sent you for," Taehyun urged. Kwang Taek stuttered at the messenger's soft smile but he quickly tore his gaze away, mumbling his words at the man.

 

                "Advisor Sung Ki asked for your audience at the west wing. At the secondary meeting room," Kwang Taek said, looking flustered. "He said there's an important guest waiting for you."

 

Taehyun frowned at that. The cardinal was away for a visit to their neighboring land's monastery and the old man had not enlightened him of any visits from anyone that he had to be expecting. The blond was reluctant to go as the cardinal had specifically ordered him to not meet anyone freely for they might persuade Taehyun to use his seer ability immorally. But the orders came from the advisor himself, the cardinal's right-hand man; Advisor Sung Ki was as strong of a figurehead as the cardinal and Taehyun ought not to refuse his request lightly.

 

                "Very well. Please lead the way, Kwang Taek, for the place is far and I am unsure of where the room is situated," Taehyun asked politely. The teenager agreed to the request.

 

And so, they walked across the long and quiet hallways, the cool night breeze was a constant caress that one could always expect at the top of the mountain. Taehyun had only noticed a person or two passed by them along their walk, the rest had probably retired for the night or were away on their assignments like Minho was. Soon the duo arrived at the mentioned room, it was a small resting room that was adjacent to the main meeting room. The place was quiet but properly lit, Taehyun could sense the warm lights and the smell of bland candle smokes in the air. Kwang Taek knocked on the door, a muffled voice gave them permission to enter.

 

The door creaked open and Kwang Taek's voice announced their presence, "High priest advisor, the seraph is here." Sung Ki urged Taehyun to enter, dismissing the reluctant teenager away when he hovered around the door, unsure if he should continue being responsible to the messenger's business or not, now that he had delivered the blond safely.

 

                "Go on, young man. The guards will escort the seraph back when we are done," Sung Ki said from where he was sitting on a plush, single settee.

 

The room they were in was used to receive guests for the monastery; thus, the couches were costly, the candle stands polished and abundant, the floor thickly carpeted and walls tastefully decorated. It was one of the few rooms in the monastery where simplicity and modesty had to concede to uphold some semblance of ceremoniousness for guests and outsiders. Taehyun felt out of place in all its grandeur, feeling awkward in the posh room as he was used to simple decorations. In this human-like body of his, he was never comfortable being in clothes or rooms so lavish, as he often stood out in them — his  _beauty_  was always mentioned or praised in such environment, be it forwardly by strangers or in whispers by some priests.

 

The blond messenger did not want for Kwang Taek to leave as the boy felt a lot safer to be around with; with his transparent reactions and honest words that was easier to read than Sung Ki's calculating ones. Advisor Sung Ki was cunning and bold, his personality was too strong for Taehyun's liking.

 

                "Did I not make myself clear, young man?" Sung Ki narrowed his eyes at the poor priest in-training. Kwang Taek immediately bowed and excused himself. He stopped a few inches beside Taehyun on his way out.

 

                "I'll tell Minho or the others that you're here, Seraph. In case they wish to fetch you themselves later," Kwang Taek said in a hushed voice.

 

                "Thank you, Kwang Taek. That would be helpful," Taehyun replied, bowing slightly in gratitude. And as soon as Kwang Taek left with a click of the closed door, Sung Ki called Taehyun forth, urging him closer to the center of the room and the blond could not refuse. He could also sense the presence of another person, sitting in one of the couches and smoking what he could only guess as a kiseru; as the smell of burley sweetness filled the air. It was similar to what Sung Ki would usually smoke in his office room; maybe the advisor had offered to share some with the stranger.

 

                "Seraph, I would like you to meet Minister Kim Sang Joong," Sung Ki said, introducing him to the other man in the room. "He's one of the monastery's strong benefactor. He had been asking for your audience for quite a long time," he spoke further. Taehyun nodded his head at the minister's general direction, acknowledging the man but gave no pleasantries in return.

 

                "Ah! I'm pleased to finally meet the oracle that your people have been hiding so well, Sung Ki!" the man said with the utmost zeal, too boisterous and pleased. His voice was booming and loud, with a hint of raspiness to it as if he had been smoking too much. He also sounded old, an adult man in their late thirties or forties if Taehyun had to guess.

 

                "My, you truly are a  _wonder_  to the eyes," the man; Sang Joong said with a breath of awe. Taehyun heard the man patting the cushion beside him, urging the blond to come closer. "Please have a sit, Seraph. I have so many questions to ask. You have  _no_  idea how much I've been looking forward to meeting you."

 

                "Go on, Seraph," Advisor Sung Ki urged when he saw Taehyun's reluctance to move. "Minister Kim has been very generous with his support for us. Without his donations, the monastery wouldn't be such a stronghold as it is today, and we couldn't have bought that land in the eastern village that you had advised the cardinal to keep, Seraph. The one you wanted as preparation for the calamity you had so far warned us about; the Meadowland," Sung Ki explained, blowing the smoke out of his mouth from the kiseru in his hand.

 

That information and the minister's wealth did not intrigue the blond at all. The land was a necessity in his plans to save the humans, the cardinal understood that much, and the blond was not indebted to anyone for it. He only implied its importance and did not ask for it to be handed over to him. And if the Meadowland proved to be important  _somehow_  then one way or another, his lord will make the land Taehyun's.

 

                "Oh please, Sung Ki. I'm nothing much. I only have my money to offer, unlike you brave people — becoming priests and protecting us from harm. I'm just happy my wealth managed to help this monastery to become the strong ministry it is now," Minister Sang Joong said with no amount of humbleness in his words, Taehyun could feel the man's ego dripping in everything he does.

 

The messenger's cogs turned in his head, he saw no reason for him being in the room other than the advisor had only wanted to show him off to one of their benefactors. He was certain this meeting was without the cardinal's permission too. Taehyun was not a display item to be admired at whenever people pleased just because he had a pair of blood red wings and not from their world. The cardinal had reminded him many times to not attract unnecessary attention to himself for his own safety.

 

But Minister Sang Joong must also be a powerful figure if he indeed had been part of the reason why the cardinal managed to get that land in the first place. He ought not to react so dismissively towards the man. The blond stepped forward reluctantly and sat down on the seat beside the minister, maintaining as much distance as he could without being disrespectful.

 

                "Come now, there's no need to be shy around me. I'm like a family to this temple. I've helped built this place from the ground up. We should be close acquaintance," Sang Joong said, taking the blond's hand in his promptly. Taehyun stilly tried to pull his hand back but the minister tightened his grip, plump fingers hot against his cooling skin. The blond simply let his hand be held by the man loosely to avoid any problems. "What is your name, Seraph? It must be as lovely as you are," the man asked pleasantly, patting his smaller hand.

 

Taehyun refused to give the man it, not wanting for any stranger to indulge in his name with forced familiarity. "You would not be able to pronounce my real name. No mortals could."

 

Sung Ki blew his kiseru into the air again, the sickly-sweet smell hanging heavily in the room, irritating Taehyun's nose as the advisor spoke, "The runts calls him Taehyun. But Minister Kim,  _Seraph_  is indeed a real name we call him. It'll be weird to call a celestial being so intimately by name. He is unfamiliar, he is not of this world, best not to get attached."

 

The minister made a noise of understanding, pondering lightly as he watched with growing interest in the messenger's hidden face, half covered by the hood of his beige cloak.

 

                "Don't hide your face, Taehyun. May I call you Taehyun too? Let's get better acquainted. I would love to see your face clearly," Sang Joong urged, lifting the messenger's face up with one finger under the blond's chin and took in the beautiful gunmetal that was staring at him with storms raging in those gray eyes. The minister gasped at the pale pair of irises, taken aback by the intensity of Taehyun's gaze even when the man could not see.

 

                "I heard you're blind, but your eyes conveyed so much, it's  _breathtaking_ ," his other hand came up to caress the side of Taehyun's face unnecessarily.

 

                "Please do not touch me so freely," Taehyun hissed, scowling at the man. But his displeasure only heightened the man's advances. The minister scooted closer on the couch, hips touching, and his chubby fingers grasped at Taehyun's lower jaw firmly, startling the blond. Sang Joong titled the messenger's face left and right, appraising the physical beauty before him with focused interest.

 

                "Exquisite  _indeed_ ," the minister breathed, licking his lips and his voice dripping with  _want._  Taehyun slapped the hand away and stood up, his whole body shaking with seething anger.

 

                "I thought I've made myself clear, Minister Kim. Do  _not_  touch me," Taehyun enunciated again in a cold voice. He pulled his hood up immediately, wanting to cover himself from the man's lecherous gaze. "I best take my leave. It was a ...pleasant... meeting, minister. Have a good night," the blond said with a forced politeness, the meeting being anything but  _pleasant._

 

The minister quickly stood up and took a hold of the blond's wrist, stopping him from leaving. "Now, now Taehyun. I didn't mean to spook you. I apologize if my actions seem unbecoming to you. Please, forgive my forwardness?" Sang Joong pleaded amiably, his strong grip getting tighter by the second.

 

Taehyun sighed, tired and annoyed. He nodded his head at the man albeit a little reluctantly in the end.

 

                "Thank you, little bird," Sang Joong smiled and laid a brief kiss behind Taehyun hand, the blond snatching his hand back in a flash; he was a little ticked off by the sudden nickname and the kiss. The minister backed away with a hearty laugh, both hands in the air as if trying to placate the ruffled messenger, seeing absolutely nothing wrong in his actions thus far.

 

                "Before you go, I have a gift for you. I heard that the people you helped had gifted you with many luxuries, as thank you. I too owe the beloved messenger an abundant amount of gratitude for meeting with me. I bought this just for you. Would you kindly accept this gift from me?" Sang Joong came forward with a slim box, opening it and pulled the most expensive looking robe that glittered gold under the oil lamps. Even Sung Ki had to hold his breath, awed by the gift, eyes going wide at the extravagant clothing.

 

Taehyun knew what it was just from the heavy sounds of the sequin and beads, and he did not like it one bit. "What is it?"

 

                "A robe," Sang Joon replied, his haughty voice filled with pride. "This was made of the finest silk, woven by the most well-known artisan with golden threads, decorated with gems of high value. It is made for you, Taehyun," the minister said, pleased by the garment. He stepped forward near the blond but Taehyun raised his palm up, stopping the man mid-way from getting any closer.

 

                "I thank you, Minister Kim but I cannot accept such an excessive gift. It is not my right," Taehyun replied seriously but the man only chuckled back, amused and having too much fun at their game of push and pull.

 

                "I insist, Taehyun. There is no one else who'd give this robe justice except for you and your exquisite beauty," Sang Joong said and pushed Taehyun's hood down again, untying the knot that held it together over the blond's chest and took it off in one swift motion. Taehyun grew agitated at how simple the man had taken his outer hood away, as if he had done it so many times before.

 

                "Minister Kim, I understand. I accept your gift. Please hand it over to me," Taehyun said in a rush, wary of where the man was heading with his forceful actions.

 

                "Hush, Taehyun. I'll do it for you," the minister pulled at the sash tied around Taehyun's waist, loosening them but Taehyun caught the man's hand, removing it away. Sang Joong made a disagreeable noise. "Now, Taehyun. I only wished to see you in this. Wear it for me now, that is all I ask of you," the man insisted. He pulled the sash free and Taehyun's beautiful yet had somehow looked far modest robe then, fell to the ground silently in a heap.

 

The blond would be furious at the man's action if it were not for the short, see-through tunic he was wearing underneath his robe that prevented him from being entirely naked. His mind and body were his Lord's and no one else had the liberty to see him without reason.

 

The messenger heard the chinked of many beads hitting each other as Sang Joong brought the extravagant robe towards him, asking him to raise his arms up and putting the robe on. Taehyun grimaced at the heaviness of the new garment, the beads and jewels weighted more than his own pair of wings. The robe was laid open at the front, Sang Joong's hand came to fiddle curiously at Taehyun's necklace hanging on his naked chest.

 

                "This is a peculiar looking pendant," he commented, tilting the orb and looking at it in wonder. If the man knew just how many billions of lives and countless stars were living in there, he would definitely offer his head and limbs to get his hands on the extraordinary jewelry.

 

                "It is my Lord's crest," Taehyun replied simply.

 

                "Hmm, it's pretty," the minister said conversationally as his wicked hands brushed slyly over Taehyun's body, making it seemed as if they were accidental touches. Sang Joong brought out a matching, intricately decorated sash; ruby red as Taehyun's wings and tied it around the blond's waist. He pulled the cloth tightly, leering at Taehyun's forced gasps at each tug. His eyes roamed on each part of the blond's body then, satisfied at how splendid and breathtaking the messenger looked in his golden robe. He raised Taehyun's wrist and clasped a golden bangle, embroidered with the Kim family crest on it. Taehyun made a noise of confusion at the extra accessory on his wrist, the man once again kissing the inside of his wrist.

 

                "Your skin is the purest of snow, white and unbelievably enticing," Sang Joong breathed out in wonder, lips moving up to kiss Taehyun's inner arm. The blond wanted to move further away from the man's unwelcomed kisses, but his arm was held tight.

 

Advisor Sung Ki blew his pipe from where he sat, having watched Sang Joong's growing interest with the blond and snickered at the man's comment. "Of course, his skin is flawless. He bathes in the holy pool every night. A being such as him is high maintenance. But you seem to know how to shower him with gold and jewels, Minister Kim," the advisor praised easily. Not many people, including the advisor knew the truth of why Taehyun needed that particular crystal-clear water to bathe in and not just any else. He did not use the Forbidden Pool for mindless pleasure.

 

                "Is that so? You bathe in the holy water? Untainted and pure? You're really  _ravishing,_  Taehyun. Are you sure you're an angel and not an incubus? Out to devour men with your beauty?" The minister snickered with a sly smile, easing forward and landing a kiss on the blond's exposed collarbone next.

 

Taehyun immediately pushed the bigger man away, scowling at him. “What are you doing?"

 

                "What do you think I'm doing, Taehyun?" The minister countered while pulling the blond hard against his body, his fat belly pressed against Taehyun's flat one. "Give me a taste of you, that's all I'm asking," he said, pushing the robe off Taehyun's shoulder eagerly and kissing the expanse of the pale chest, growling hungrily.

 

                "Stop it!" Taehyun struggled to get away but was thrown onto the nearest couch, his wings pinned awkwardly underneath him as Sang Joong climbed over him, settling himself heavily on top of the panicking blond.

 

The minister held both of Taehyun's wrist above his head, kissing and nipping down the long column of the messenger's pearly neck with heavy breaths. "So pretty. My pretty little bird. Won't you be mine, Taehyun? Won't you wear my crest, the same way you do your Lord's?" He said, biting at the gleaming necklace, tugging at it with his teeth.

 

                "You're out of your mind!" Taehyun cried out, buckling hard but the man was so much bigger, so much heavier on top of him. The blond's trashing had only seemed to excite the man more, the minister grinding down between Taehyun's opened legs, hips moving vulgarly, mimicking his lewd intention towards the blond.

 

                "Ah, your struggle is  _delightful._  I'm heating up just having you so helpless underneath me," Sang Joong sniggered, biting and leaving a red mark on Taehyun's neck. "You know how to tease a man, Taehyun; shyly hiding behind your hood, and letting me undress you, and your hot little gasps at being manhandled. I'm so hard because of you, my little bird."

 

                "Stop! Let me go!" Taehyun demanded and managed to get his hands free, he pushed the man's head away from him, hating the feel of Sang Joong's nasty lips and tongue on his skin. The minister growled angrily back, trying to recapture the blond's hands while hastily pulling at the red sash to loosen it.

 

                "Stop struggling, Taehyun," Sang Joong huffed in annoyance, the sound of Taehyun's robe being ripped was loud in the room and Taehyun fought back even harder.

 

                "Seraph, stop being so difficult to your benefactor," Sung Ki chastised the blond, crossing his legs while watching them in a tangle with disinterest. "Without him, you wouldn't get your precious land. The least you could do to pay him back for his generosity is to let him enjoy you for a short while," he said again, puffing his kiseru lazily into the air.

 

                "You're both  _insane!"_ Taehyun's scream fell on deaf ears.

 

Truthfully, Sung Ki knew of the minister's intention towards the blond from the start. Minister Kim had been asking for the seraph too many times with his trademark sly smile to be anything innocent. The cardinal had refused him, knowing full well of the man's infamous partakes in buying or bedding those who were indebted to him.

 

Honestly, the land would not even be theirs if Sung Ki had not offered the man illegal boys from an infamous red-light district a few towns over; using his own money and connection no less. He had to do it discreetly, because Minister Kim was an honorary member of the capital's religious faction. The man's preferences for beautiful men and young boys were kept secret. But anyone who was in their circle knew that Minister Kim was a filthy, insatiable oaf.  And the man still wanted the seraph in the end.

 

It was detestable of Sung Ki to steal some of the monastery funds or use his high-ranking position to settle debts or earn favors; he knew it himself, but it helped the monastery in the long run. Other priests, even the cardinal had put a heavy trust in him, even believed that his negotiation skills were unmatched whenever he managed to seal a deal for their sake. But in reality, men everywhere were animals. Earnest words of encouragement and to do good were never enough to persuade the benefactors, but forbidden pleasures will always give him an advantage over them.

 

So, the advisor was quite used to such scenes being played before him. Unwilling bodies, or bought prostitutes being forced into sex and watching his transaction being completed in the end. It was nothing unusual for him.

 

                "Stop struggling! Or I'll make it more painful than it should be!" Sang Joong growled his warnings when Taehyun tried to get up.

 

                "No!!" The blond shouted back and was immediately backhanded by the stronger man. The ring on his pudgy finger cut the messenger across his cheek, a prickle of blood seeped out from it.

 

                "Minister Kim! Please, with all due respect, don't damage the man. It will be a hassle to explain his injuries to the cardinal," Sung Ki said exasperatedly at his guest, leaning forward in his seat with a slight frown.

 

Sang Joong glared angrily at the advisor's interruption, then he slowly took in a deep breath to calm himself down. He was showing his true colors too fast, getting too rough before anything had even begun. "Apologies, Advisor Jang. You're right, it will be a waste to mar such an exquisite little thing. I won't leave marks anywhere visible. Now, Taehyun, let's do this nice and eas-"

 

Taehyun hit Sang Joong's head with the kiseru's ash pot that he had hastily grabbed from the low table. The loud sound shocked all three men in the room, Taehyun especially as the remains of burning tobacco and embers scorched his fingers but his searing anger and hate towards the man were  _hotter._ Sang Joong shouted in pain as his head was knocked hard. Taehyun used all of his wings' strength to pushed himself up and throw the man off him, the minister's heavy body crashed onto the low table. The blond hastily got up and away from the couch, from the two men; grabbing at his opened robe and falling sash in panic.

 

                "You little  _bitch!"_ The minister yelled from the ground and was about to lunge forward but Sung Ki was there to hold Sang Joong down, placating the furious man.

 

                "Wait, Minister Kim, sir. You're hurt. Let's treat your wounds first," he insisted, grip hard on the man's shoulder. Even though Sang Joong was a big person, Advisor Sung Ki was well-built with steel muscles — the minister felt the warning clutch of the advisor's hand on him. "Guards! Escort our seraph back to his room. He's done for the night," Sung Ki ordered as two priest guards came from the door and stood between Taehyun, their worried gazes skirting between the disheveled messenger and the groaning guest.

 

                "Wait. He still has unfinished business with me. He's  _mine!_ " Sang Joong demanded angrily, getting up on his wobbly feet. Taehyun took a step back and the guards came to stand uncertainly between him and the minister. Sung Ki clicked his tongue at the big man's stubbornness.

 

                "Minister Kim, please forgive me. I should have warned you that the seraph is still green when it comes to this type of  _dealings,_ " Sung Ki bowed low to the man, voice as calm as the night breeze. Sang Joong's burning glare fell on the blond then at the advisor before he scoffed in disdain.

 

                "Remind him of where he stands in all this, Sung Ki," he replied, seething with anger. He then pointed rudely at the blond, gritting his teeth as he said to Taehyun, "I bought you the Meadowland, Seraph. You and the monastery  _owe_  me! A beggar shouldn't have the right to refuse me."

 

Sung Ki bowed again in apology, he kept his head low and his eyes even lower. "I shall see to it that he understands his place. For now, how about we go and visit the red-light district? I received words a few days back that there's a new addition to the brothel and I've booked the boy in advance for your visit; in case the seraph was  _unsatisfactory_. Everything will be in my expanse, as a token of apology," Sung Ki said, offering the minister another unlucky person as a substitute to satisfy the man's lust. Minister Kim huffed in annoyance, the seraph was being too much of a hassle to deal with anyway.

 

                "Fine. I'll come back later, when you're properly  _trained,_  little bird," Sang Joong promised with a sneer, grabbing his own leopard printed hood and bejeweled cane on the sturdy coat rack. "Oh, and Taehyun?" Minister Kim called back to the wary messenger as he tied his flamboyant hood on, "You can keep that robe, Taehyun. It fits you like the feisty, expensive  _whore_  that you are."

 

 

 

 

— Taehyun was escorted back to his room by two wired guards. They were anxious to get away from the seething messenger as Taehyun was equally restless for the guards to leave him alone. Once he arrived at his room, one of the guards had the decency to asked if he was all right, but Taehyun had enough of strangers and unwelcomed social interactions so he simply slammed his door after a curt  _thank you._  He will apologize later for his rudeness, after he was feeling better.

 

The blond then irately chucked the outrageous robe and the offending bangle to the floor, kicking the bedazzling heap away from near his feet for a good measure. Taehyun was extremely livid. He could still feel the awful drag of the minister's filthy tongue on his skin, the man's lewd words and obnoxious voice above him, those nasty, loathsome hands. The blond could not believe how  _sickening_  men could be against someone far weaker and helpless from them. It was as if they were fueled simply by the desire to subdue and torment others.

 

Wearing only his tunic and wrapping himself in his wings, the blond sat on his bed and rocked himself back and forth to forcefully calm his building anger and hatred towards humankind. He kept reminding himself that the minister and the kidnappers were just unfortunate circumstances he had the terrible pleasure to meet in this life. He had met many other kind and generous people, so he should understand that a few horrid, bad apples should not taint the whole sack — was what the bloody books taught him anyway.

 

But now, when he was all alone in his room, fuming and eaten by depression, he cannot help but wondered how things would have been like if he were in his past forms during all the unsavory events. One thing was for sure, if he were still the mythical beasts that he was; he could  _crush_  the minister's whole fat body with just his mighty jaw, he could  _shatter_  the kidnapper's head with just his voice, he could  _melt_ the shrewd advisor's skin with his mere, searing breath.

 

Yet Taehyun was sent down similar or maybe even  _weaker_  than an average person, and to top it off — he was even blind. The only thing he was truly thankful for was his pair of red-blooded wings; a magnificent and beautiful gift from his lord that had saved him countless times. If he looked at himself from a stranger's perspective, they would say that Taehyun were truly blessed for his wings and ethereal beauty, his non-aging body, the way he could do without food, his ability to predict the future and to live forever.

 

But now when he was alone; hurt and shamed by mere mortals — he did not feel blessed. He felt like he should just abandon the people and fly up to the sky, return to his paradise and just let humanity suffer their oncoming doom. They deserve it for their wickedness, do they not?

 

The blond did not know how long he was on his bed, stewing in hatred, lips bitten raw from his anger. He noticed the sun had risen, bathing his room with its blinding stream. He laid unmoving as the shadows grew longer with each passing hour, until he could feel the afternoon rays on his skin, hot and stuffy. Taehyun rose up to sit silently on his bed, his feet touched the cool tiles but did nothing to ground him back. He was lost, lethargic,  _defeated._

 

                "Taehyun?" Minho came to kneel in front of him, voice soft and concerned. The blond sucked in a quiet breath when he felt Minho's familiar fingers on the side of his face, running lightly over his cut cheek. "Hey, what happened? You okay?"

 

The blond closed his eyes and held Minho's hand on his cheek, nodding in assurance.

 

                "Why are you not wearing more? Aren't you cold?" The teen asked. Taehyun shook his head sadly at the boy's concerned tone.

 

                "What's this?" Minho asked again, tracing the red line, dried blood flaking on Taehyun's once flawless skin.

 

                "It's a cut."

 

                "Yes, from where?"

 

                "A sharp rock."

 

                "Okay, how did it happened?"

 

                "Accidentally."

 

Minho sighed but an affectionate smile came to him either way when he noticed the blond's reluctance to share his troubles. Taehyun would always get that way when he wished to avoid Minho getting too invested in his problems. Which Minho was about to do anyway.

 

                "Taehyun, are we really gonna play the 20 Questions Game before I get the whole story out of you?" He asked in a lighter tone, but his scrutinizing eyes roamed all over the messenger's deflated body; the cut on his cheek, the red imprint on the side of his face as if he was slapped, the haggard wings, the bruised wrists and his half-naked state. Minho saw the discarded heap of a new robe on the floor, he could put two and two together, but he would not want to start his revenge on the wrong foot, not until he was sure and managed to get to the bottom of it.

 

                "Are you hurt?" Minho probed further. Taehyun shrugged. "Do you hurt anywhere else?" Minho asked and Taehyun shook his head. The teen clicked his tongue at the lack of response he was getting from the blond.

 

Taehyun brought Minho's hand from his cheek down and held it in his, tracing the rough calluses from constant training absentmindedly. "Are you mad?" The blond asked.

 

                "I'm not," Minho's leveled voice held a dash of anger to it, Taehyun knew. It was his clipped,  _angry voice_ again.

 

                "Not  _yet,_  you mean. You always get mad when I'm hurt," Taehyun replied as he let Minho checked him all over; Minho tilted the blond's face to see the bruise, he brushed the cocooning wings aside and traced the redden handprints on Taehyun's wrists, he pulled the disheveled tunic tighter across the blond's body as he noticed the small shivers running across the pale skin even under the bright sunlight.

 

Minho replied stilly, "You need to be more careful then."

 

                "Because it will be a waste to mar such an exquisite little thing?" Taehyun questioned back, tone surprisingly bitter. Minho blinked in confusion at the blond's sudden anger, not knowing the reason for it.

 

                "Where did that came from?" Minho asked, bewildered and taken aback. He then saw the purple mark on Taehyun's neck and he touched it disbelief. The blond hissed at that forgotten bite mark, shying away from Minho's fingers and almost curling into his wings again, wanting to hide. "Did the person who gave you this said that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, body going high-strung in silent fury.

 

The silence following Minho's angry inquiries was heavy. Taehyun wanted to avoid answering it but he knew very well how stubborn Minho could get when he wanted answers. "Forget it, Minho. It was my fault, I was not careful," Taehyun said, deflated and tired. He leaned forward to rest his head on Minho's shoulder, the teen's hand came up to stroke his back soothingly, his building anger forgotten for a moment at Taehyun's display of weakness.

 

                "Taehyun, a bad luck is never one's own fault," Minho wisely said but Taehyun knew he could probably blame  _something_  from his side; like how naive he is or how he is never careful when it comes to his own safety. "Let me treat your cut. Next time, don't go anywhere alone, yeah?" Minho reminded him gently, patting the blond's cold back comfortingly.

 

Taehyun pouted, he  _was_ minding his own business when shit just decided to happen to him. It was not as if he went out and look for trouble himself. "You were not around so I had to go everywhere alone," Taehyun grumbled, not really meaning it but it felt nice to act spoiled once in a while and Minho would always indulge him either way.

 

The teen grinned good-naturedly back at the man in his arms, "True. I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you," Minho said. "Come on, let's go the Forbidden Pool. A nice, warm bath will cheer you up."

 

Minho pulled the blond up to stand together. He took off his coarse but toasty priest cloak that was warmed by his own body heat, and slung it over the blond, covering the wings and Taehyun's underdressed state. Minho turned around and kneeled again, urging the blond to get on his back, "Hop on, your highness. You look like you'd rather laze around all day. I'm taking you to get clean up whether you want to or not," Minho smirked at the permanent pout on the blond's face.

 

The blond huffed and made dramatic comments about having to move when he was too tired. Minho simply lifted the blond on his back, giving him a piggyback ride and strode easily out of the room. Taehyun burrowed even closer onto the teen's surprisingly broader back then. How did he miss the teen growing almost as tall as him? Taehyun hid his face in between the teen's shoulder blade, ignoring any passersby that were looking at them funny.

 

The messenger wondered if Minho was  _not_  a mortal, and instead lived as his Lord's envoy too, what color would his wings be? For the teen definitely felt like the blond's  _angel,_  a saving grace in his sometimes-bleak world. Even though he was glad for the teen's presence in his life, Taehyun still hid his frown from the world as he worried over what could be going on in Minho's oftentimes dangerous mind when it comes to Taehyun's wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

— And Taehyun knew that Minho would somehow find out the truth even when he did not tell him anything about what had happened that night between him, Advisor Sung Ki and Minister Sang Joong.

 

When Seungyoon told him that Minho's village had some new public facilities and school upgrades, Taehyun raised a suspicious eyebrow at it — thinking some kindhearted person must be funding the village; for it was an important center for orphans and special-needs children in their land. But then a few more months later came a chilling rumor that a friend of the monastery;  _a minister,_  who had been generous in his wealth in developing the temple — had been assassinated. And Minho came back that night giddy and smelled of fresh soap that was so strong it borders repugnant.

 

Taehyun did not probe for information any further.

 

_It is retribution._  Was what the voice in his head had said, once were even spoken by someone dear to him. And the familiar unpleasant feeling did not get any easier to handle.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

☽

 

On one quiet autumn night, Taehyun was making his way back to his room. He had just returned from accompanying the cardinal to a dinner with an old clergyperson of another region for it was not unusual of him to go out and meet people in need of aid when the cardinal asked of him, and if his lord granted him permission to do so.

 

There were many similar instances such as that; meetings with higher-ranking officials, wanting to thank him in person for his premonitions or simply from rich individuals that had heard of his existence and wanted to meet him with their own eyes. Taehyun had avoided the latter after his incident with Minister Kim Sang Joong, but this time it was the cardinal himself that had specifically asked for his audience.

 

The cardinal said that his older brother had wanted to meet with the messenger, and Taehyun knew his soft heart could never refuse such a request. The cardinal was not affectionate towards the blond, but the old man had been a gracious host and unintrusive towards his affairs thus far. Taehyun owed him a lot.

 

As the messenger would have expected, their guest; the clergyperson was a frail old man,  _older_  even than their own cardinal. The high priest was almost blind himself and was very near the end of his life. But his personality was pleasant, and he kept patting Taehyun's hand warmly, thanking him for proving that God does exist, that miracles do happen.

 

Honestly, Taehyun had expected such gentle warmness from someone who no longer had any attachment to the living world. What Taehyun had not expected was the news that both high elders; the cardinal and his equally high ranking older brother, were ready to hand over their mantel to the next priests — to new figureheads, new cardinals for their monasteries. To finally resign from their position as leaders.

 

He heard the stuttered gasped coming from Seungyoon who was sitting on the zaisu chair beside him on the opened patio. The teen immediately stood up and shuffled over to their cardinal, bowing low on the floor over his folded legs, head almost touching the wooden floor deck.

 

                "High Priest Chun, please reconsider. You can't resign. Not now, not so soon. There's still so much to be done!" Seungyoon pleaded to his old leader.

 

                "And it shall be done; by  _you,_  Kang Seungyoon," the cardinal said, voice traveling in the cooling night but only for their ears to hear.

 

Seungyoon did not raise from his bow. The teen already knew the cardinal was going to pass the title to him after he saw only two high priests, Taehyun, and another priest in-training wearing the same robe as him from the other monastery assembled at this meeting.

 

                "I have brought the seraph here because I would like to request a tiny favor from you," the cardinal said to the blond. Taehyun blinked and looked over at the sound of the old man voice, his wings shivering a bit underneath his cloak from the chilly night breeze.

 

                "Go on," Taehyun urged the cardinal, nodding slightly.

 

                "Please tell me, Seraph. How will Kang Seungyoon and Bang Yongguk fare as our future leaders for the monasteries? I understand that this is cheating but I would like to train them more if they're still underprepared for the considerable tasks," Cardinal Chun asked in muted concern, brows furrowed as his shaking hand helped him sipped his hot tea.

 

The messenger understands that it must be a personal challenge to pass their mantels to men who are far too young, far too honest for the exceeding job as the head of a monastery. The responsibility for so many priests, over their training and education, over towns and villages, over politics, over being a head of an aid ministry — is a tough job that would drain one's energy and soul away. But the cardinal was already very old, Taehyun knew the man had been hiding his bloody handkerchiefs in various pockets in his robe whenever he suffered rough coughing fits. It was saddening that similar to his older brother, the cardinal too will not have that much time left to live.

 

                "Allow me to seek permission from my Lord," Taehyun gently said in reply to the old man's request. "I pray that he will be gracious with us," the messenger closed his eyes and laid his palm on his chest, over his pendant as he always would when probing the future. The pendant grew incredibly cool in his hand as he saw flashes of events running through his mind, behind his closed eyelids.

 

The rest waited with baited breaths, the sound of koi fishes breaking surface on the pond and night crickets surrounding them helped calm their nervousness albeit only a little. Taehyun finally opened his gray eyes after a few tense minutes, saying a silent thank you to his lord for sharing his invaluable knowledge with them.

 

                "I have seen the future, and these young men journeys as new cardinals are as expected; smooth but with unforgiving bumps occasionally," Taehyun relayed to everyone who gave simultaneous sighs of relief. "They will have good companies to help them but Bang Yongguk, I advise you to not carry all the burden by yourself. Seek help from the people close to you or it will be hard for you to proceed. Do not be afraid to share your troubles, young one," the blond said to the young man sitting across from him.

 

Bang Yongguk bowed low on his seat respectfully, "Thank you, Seraph. I will keep your advice and do as I must."

 

                "Kang Seungyoon," Taehyun called out to his dear friend, Seungyoon shifted his attention to the blond and wait patiently for what he had to say. "Seungyoon, you... you are strong. I  _know_  you are. The calamity will come at your time as the cardinal... and you will face them with great leadership for the people. Not just for the people of our region but for every mortal on this plane, this world.  _Sacrifices_ must be made, but... I believe that you are strong even for those tough moments," Taehyun said, looking down on the floor, unwilling to raise his head. He saw Seungyoon's future and he prayed that everything will be worth it in the end.

 

Seungyoon came over to his side again and laid a hand over his paler one, "Taehyun, I understand that there are things even you cannot stop. Don't worry, I will do my very best for all of us," Seungyoon said in reassurance. Taehyun nodded his head solemnly at the young man, a young honest man who would soon grow strong and unrelenting as their future cardinal.

 

                "Please, whatever happens; do not lose hope," Taehyun whispered sadly and laid a blessing kiss on the crown of the Seungyoon's head, praying hard for his future.

 

Both cardinals shared a hushed conversation by themselves after that, making necessary preparations and talking about their future retirement. They then both turned around to the rest of their companies with a satisfied look on their old, wan faces. "We have decided that in three months’ time, Kang Seungyoon and Bang Yongguk will officially hold the title as cardinals. Thank you, Taehyun, for your priceless advice. We owe you a lot for what you have done for us so far," the cardinal said and both old men bowed down to him, the two young priests in-training followed suit too.

 

Taehyun wondered if they would still think highly of him when the calamity finally hit them, and he can only do so much to help humanity in the end.

 

 

 

 

— It was on the same autumn night that Taehyun found himself confronted by a few personal soldiers belonging to the priest Advisor Sung Ki. They stopped him when he was on his way to his room, saying that the advisor wished to meet with him. The blond refused; it was either they wait for Minho to come back from his mission to accompany Taehyun to meet the advisor or the advisor could come to the mass hall where there will be people around to witness their meeting.

 

                "Or, we could go with the third option," one of the soldiers said and Taehyun was knocked out cold by a precise jab to the back of his head. Everything went black as he fell to their waiting hands.

 

As soon as Taehyun came back to himself, he noticed that he was sitting on a wooden chair; hands tied together by a rough cloth in front of him, his beige cloak gone as he noticed his wings were bound tightly too, they feel restless and uncomfortable at being out in the open. He was in a well-lit room as he could sense the warm light to a degree and the smell of sweet, familiar tobacco filled the air. Taehyun groaned as he felt the painful creak on his abused neck, at the bottom part of his head where he was struck a while ago.

 

                "You really have the knack to invite trouble to yourself, Seraph." Taehyun immediately recognized the sound of that voice, expected it even when he found himself gaining consciousness in the office room.

 

                "Is this not a little too excessive, Advisor Sung Ki? Why am I being held like a criminal?" Taehyun asked exasperatedly. Misery truly loves his company it seemed.

 

                "Pardon me but your wings are too strong for us mere mortals to handle. I only want to have a few words with you, if I may?" Sung Ki asked, sitting somewhere near the blond while puffing away at his usual kiseru.

 

                "It does not seem as if I have a choice in that matter. What is it that you want so much that it made you throw civics out of your proper etiquette window?" Taehyun bit back, growing annoyed at the man's lack of manners. He heard dull knockings as Sung Ki emptied his kiseru in the ash container, the man putting his pipe down on the table and walked to stand before the messenger unhurriedly.

 

                "Seraph, I know you went to a closed meeting with the cardinal and one  _important_  priest in-training just now. I've no doubt that the cardinal had made up his mind with his chosen successor," Sung Ki said with a disappointed note coloring his words. He laid a bruising grip on Taehyun's shoulder suddenly, grabbing Taehyun's attention and making the blond understand the heaviness of his next words. "What I want from you, is for you to convince the cardinal that he is wrong. Tell him to make  _me_  his successor instead."

 

Taehyun scoffed at the man, "What makes you think I could persuade Cardinal Chun's decision at all?"

 

                "You're the Lord's envoy, aren't you? His precious  _messenger?_  You can tell the cardinal that you saw the future, and the future has  _me_  as the cardinal in it," the advisor said simply. Taehyun almost snorted at the man's ridiculous request.

 

                "I refuse," he replied without missing a beat. The advisor was taken aback by his boldness, Taehyun smirked at the man's reaction. A man of his position rarely gets a  _No_  as an answer. "I admire you for your tenacity when it comes to your job, advisor. But you are without a doubt the most incorrigible person I have ever met. It is amazing how you hate me and my being from the very start and yet managed to change your mind about my stance when it will be beneficial for you," Taehyun stated while glaring at the man. He does not even need to see to know how the advisor was slowly seething in controlled anger at the blond's refusal.

 

                "Now, Seraph. Think carefully before you answer. Just talk to the cardinal, or your little friends will suffer some unfortunate circumstances under my orders. It's not hard for me to send them to a losing battle, or to banish them on years-long missions outside the safety of our region. It will be so unfortunate for them," Sung Ki threatened, willing to stoop so low in order to get what he wants. He was not above of using the messenger's four close friends as pawns in his game.

 

                "It does not matter what you do. I have already foretold the cardinal and Kang Seungyoon's future as the new leader. They understand the hardships that shall come their way, they are ready. They are well-prepared. You are  _not_  in the equation, Advisor Sung Ki," Taehyun said in finality. Sung Ki furiously let go of the blond's shoulder and went to kick the low table in front of them in anger. The contents on it flying in the air, glass cups and mapping tools crashing on the floor along with other books and papers on it. Two guards standing readily beside the advisor's office door watched in shock and worry as their master tried to control his raging temper.

 

Taehyun bit his lip, ready to be backhand or hit in any way as he usually would when he angered the other party for refusing their requests, but none came. The advisor paced back and forth before him, boots crunching callously the scattered mess on the floor. After having a moment to calm himself down, the man came and stopped in front of the blond again; arms folded and legs in a wide stance, glaring down at the messenger.

 

                "Fine, we play this your way. What do you desire, Seraph?" Sung Ki gritted out impatiently. "Money? Women?  _Men?_  I will give you anything you want, and in turn, you will give me what I want. That is easy, correct?" Sung Ki forced himself to be civil one last time with the impossible messenger.

 

                "I do not desire anything."

 

                " _Bullshit!_ Everyone wants something!" Sung Ki bellowed, startling his two guards but not Taehyun. He went to grab roughly on Taehyun's collar and pulled him up from the chair, ranting angrily at the blond. "I have worked so hard to be where I am today. I am only  _one_  step away from my goal. And what happened?  _You,_ you showed up! You and your words of omens and shit, making people fall in line to do your bidding! If it wasn't for you, the cardinal would've turned to me.  _Me!_  I'm his bloody right-hand man! He should've trusted me!" He shouted to the blond's impassive face, hating the messenger by the second at how unperturbed the blond seemed at his outrage.

 

                "And you shall be only  _that,_ Advisor Sung Ki. A right-hand man. Stay in that position and nothing bad will happen to you," Taehyun helpfully supplied, uncaring that he would only raise the man's animosity towards him even more. The advisor can say anything he wants, but nothing will change Taehyun's mind in the end. It was not his or the advisor's freedom to change the course of the world's destiny.

 

Sung Ki growled, bringing their faces closer as he spat out, "You are really starting to get on my nerves, Seraph. You're seriously begging to be  _hurt_  by this tone of yours."

 

                "Hit me all you want but I still won't change my mind," Taehyun dared the man, unafraid of getting beaten up.

 

                "Really?" Sung Ki sneered and pulled the messenger's collar, dragging the leaner man with him then slammed the blond on top of his hardwood office table on his back. Taehyun's wings were pinned painfully underneath him as the advisor wrapped his steel-like fingers around Taehyun's neck, squeezing it slowly to cut off the blond's air. "I admit that you do seem nonchalant when it comes to being bruised. But you hate it when someone touches you in the wrong way, right? I at least noticed that much," Sung Ki's other hand came to roughly untie the sash across Taehyun waist, pulling and ripping the fabric apart.

 

The blond coughs desperately for air as he tried to push the hand on his waist away. "Wh-what are you doing?" He choked out in alarm.

 

                "The same thing our poor dead Minister Kim didn't manage to do to you. If this is the only way to tame you, then I don't mind changing my preferences for women just to make you listen to me, Seraph," Sung Ki forced out bitterly as he throw the sash on the ground, his other hand still choking the blond and he pushed the silky robe off Taehyun's shoulder.

 

One of Sung Ki's soldiers took a step forward with a paling face, "M-master, what are you-"

 

                " _Don't interfere!_ " Sung Ki shouted at them, warning them with his furious glare as they both immediately backed away.

 

Taehyun struggled underneath the man's vice hold, his wings could not give him any kind of leverage when it had been bind so tightly, not even an inch of movement could be made. Taehyun choked out his words, gasping for breath when Sung Ki loosened his fingers curiously, "You- you can never attain me, unless you were gi- given me. I am my Lord's! And for what purpose are you doing this?! There is no gain for me or you in making me yours!"

 

The advisor pulled at the soft, white hair on the back of Taehyun's head roughly. The messenger yelped in pain as Sung Ki exposed the long neck for his unforgiving bites. "Oh, Seraph. Even if you won't be of any use to me as a seer or as someone who could persuade the cardinal in my favor, having you instead in my embrace will gain me the utmost pleasure. I have no doubts about that," he said, leaving as many red marks as he could across the pale column of the blond's neck and collarbones. "Now I understand when the rest often said how they wished to have a go with you," the advisor growled and bit harshly at an exposed nipple, Taehyun screamed at the man to stop.

 

                " _Men!_  You are lower than animals!" Taehyun shouted as he managed to grab onto a heavy paperweight on the desk with his tied hands and hit the advisor with it. But his aim was off, and the man was so well-built that he did not even felt a thing from it.

 

Sung Ki grabs the offending stationery and threw it away on the floor. He pulled the blond up and turned the smaller man around, slamming his head back on the table. Taehyun's hands now were stuck between his tired body and the hard-wooden table.

 

                "So it all comes down to  _this?_  Using your carnal desire to bend me to your will when you don't get what you want? Stop this at once!" Taehyun growled out at the man pinning him down, face hurting as his cheek was pressed hard on the table's surface.

 

                "If it's the only thing that I will get from you then so be it," Sung Ki countered while biting the blond's ear, trying to hold Taehyun still from the smaller man's relentless thrashing underneath him.  "Tell me, Seraph. If I were to clip your wings, if I were to lock you up in a room far away from everyone and make you my own pleasure slave, what will become of the world? You talk about the calamity a lot, what will happen if you're not there to stop it?" The advisor growled out his questions, one hand sleazed up the blond's left thigh, bringing the silk robe up and bunching them around Taehyun's waist, displaying his lower back to the occupants in the room as Taehyun kicks the air aimlessly, trying to stop the man.

 

                "The world will be in chaos, I'm sure," Sung Ki sniggered, feeling riled up at the expanse of forbidden skin underneath his touch. "And you will fail in your task. There's no doubt that we will all eventually die from it; from the calamity. But I will have my end with you in  _my_  arms, with you underneath  _me,_ with you crying out in pleasure for  _me_ while everyone else will be in despair. And I don't think that is such a bad way to go," Sung Ki said hotly against his bitten ear. Taehyun swallowed his scream as he shockingly felt the man's hand caressing the side of his naked thigh then, hand roaming eagerly all over, inside and outside of his leg until it rested on one ample cheek.

 

                " _Don't touch me!_ " Taehyun shouted. He felt like he could faint from how loud his heart was beating in panic.

 

A low, mocking chuckle came from the advisor. He traced the exposed skin of Taehyun's backside, then brought his hand forward to cup the blond's covered manhood, squeezing it in his palm. "Have you bedded anyone? Have you ever moaned for someone to take you? To bruise this perfect, porcelain skin you owned? Have you ever had someone  _inside_  you?" He scoffed at the blond in disdain. Taehyun whimpered as his brain brought him back to Minho; to his gentle touch, to his kind words, to his pleasant voice, assuring him that everything will be okay. Minho is his safe haven, if there is one person that Taehyun feel any security in then it is Minho.

 

                "Let go of me!! You can't possibly want to copulate with me?" Taehyun asked in alarm, disgusted by the touch as his face drained of all colors. "I'm not a female! It's not possible!" The blond struggled even harder to get away from Sung Ki's hold, but the man was far stronger than he had thought. His wings were straining in their binds, Taehyun doing his best to stretch them, to release them even if he might hurt himself and his wings in the process.

 

                "Don't you worry about that. It's totally possible to  _fuck_  a man. I heard you'd get hooked to it after you've done it once. You may thank me later and I'd welcome you with open arms whenever you decided to come back for more," Sung Ki said and nudged his tenting erection against Taehyun's underwear, hand pinching the flesh of the blond's backside lustfully. He was surprised he could get hard for the hateful messenger. Sung Ki guessed that no matter how irritating and insufferable the blond was, the messenger was still beautiful and luscious to one's eyes. It was not hard to fall for his looks.

 

Taehyun had almost lost all his strength fighting the advisor's relentless hold on him. He hated the man's touch, despised the man's closeness. The blond trashed around helplessly and had unintentionally made the advisor grew more eager, wanting to be the first to break the messenger as he humped the blond's back roughly.

 

                "Stop it! Unhand me, now!" Taehyun demanded. "Advisor Sung Ki, you have a wife! The one you laid in bed with! The one who you had  _sworn_  to love and protect the rest of your life! The one you married! You can't do this to me, or to her! You will only sully your name, your position!" The blond cried out his pleas. The advisor's roaming hand on his lower body seemed to pause itself. "You're furious at my not being of any use to you, I understand. But use your words! Not your brutal strength to subject me to your unsavory whims! Stop this now!"

 

                "Master, I- I believe you should stop, sir," one of Sung Ki's followers said; Taehyun haphazardly recalled the voice belonging to Captain Yun. The one who was as loyal to Sung Ki, who would do anything for him, similar to how Minho was loyal and would swim a fiery ocean for Taehyun. The captain cared for his master greatly, and what the man was doing will only bring more trouble in the end. "Sir, what you're about to do is  _rape,_  and I cannot let you do that," the captain with a scar on his face said bravely and unsheathed his sword. His partner standing beside him, who had been shocked rigid by what he was witnessing, swallowed nervously and pulled out his own twin daggers.

 

                "Th-The captain's right, Master Jung. The seraph is a holy being, he's a messenger of God. Think of the repercussion that might smite all of us for the sins you're about to commit towards him," his partner spoke up too, stepping up closer to the duo in the middle of the office as he saw his captain moved forward. They both held their weapons tight as nervous sweat started beading on their foreheads. They might be trained mercenaries, but they were still far less skillful than the seasoned advisor, combat-wise. Taehyun bit his lips, holding in a choked breath and stopping himself from making a run that might injure everyone in the room if he suddenly moves. The advisor's hands on him were still bruisingly strong. Sung Ki glanced heatedly at his two loyal, now betraying followers.

 

                "You mean to stop  _me?_ " Sung Ki questioned, voice cold and glare razor sharp. They halted their steps, swallowing with their dry throats. It was the first time they had blatantly go against their master's orders and challenged him to back down. They were afraid, but the monastery had taught them right; foulness happens when good people choose to look away.

 

And they choose to not to look away and stepped up against their master's wrongness. "You taught us to always learn by example," the younger soldier said, dagger pointing forward towards the advisor. "And you're an excellent teacher, my master. But I do not wish to learn or be what you would become if you attack the seraph tonight."

 

                "Master Jung, please let him go," the captain said in a subdued voice, slowly bringing his gloved hand forward to rest on Taehyun's trembling pale shoulder as he stepped close enough to them. "You cannot let years of hard work, dedication, and pride go to waste just to fulfill your ill-desire towards our own brother, just to enact this unnecessary punishment. The seraph is  _innocent,_ master," the captain said, gaze steady and filled with strong conviction. Taehyun felt the fury rising from the advisor who was still attached so close to him, he was afraid that Sung Ki would lash out at his own men instead.

 

                "Please release the seraph, master," the younger soldier spoke and Sung Ki's hands on his body tightened painfully as Taehyun held in his breath. The advisor released his hold then, roughly letting go of the blond as Taehyun felt the suffocating heat left his body. Sung Ki walked further away from them, breathing loud as he situated himself in front of his opened office window, staring out with cold eyes at the darkened horizon.

 

The captain who was holding Taehyun's shoulder immediately cut the ropes on his red wings and tied hands. He pulled him up to a stand, lowering Taehyun's bunched-up robe down in a hurry, "Are you oka-"

 

                "Don't  _touch_  me," Taehyun whispered harshly as he took a few stumbled steps back from the captain, pulling the collar of his robe tightly and gripping the bottom length of his garment for dear life.

 

The captain's eyes darted everywhere except on the shocked messenger as he stuttered his apology. "I- I'm sorry. I'll escort you back to your room, Seraph. Please allow me to-"

 

                "Taehyun," the advisor called out to him from across the room, Taehyun's body went completely rigid at his low voice. "You better make sure to not appear in front of me. I won't hold myself back the second time. And I will make sure they won't be able to either," Sung Ki growled testily towards the cold night. Taehyun did not let his whimper out, he will not let the man have his satisfaction of scaring him.

 

The blond wasted no time in turning around and heading straight for the door, even if he did not know where the entrance was. The captain who had offered to escort him back, quickly dashed forward and opened the door for him, calling the blond over and Taehyun tripped over his own unkempt robe in his haste to leave the room. Once they were outside in the opened hallways, Taehyun quickened his steps, walking forward blindly but with the single purpose of getting away from that room as far as he could. The captain jogged after him in worry.

 

                "Seraph, are you okay? Do you need-"

 

                "Leave me," Taehyun said, voice firm as he marched down the silent hallway. The captain tried to keep up with his pace, still stuttering and at a loss of word.

 

                "I- I can't, Seraph," he said in earnest. "I won't. Not when you're in this condition," he pleaded and Taehyun heard the unsaid words;  _not_  when you're looking this vulnerable.

 

                "Just leave me!" Taehyun shouted his command as he turned around and stopped both of them in their tracks. "Please... Leave me, you have done enough,  _child_."

 

The captain flinched at Taehyun's word. He was reminded of who, or what Taehyun truly was and he backed away meekly.  "I- I understand," he said, the tiniest bit of fear in his voice. He then bowed very low at the blond, " _Please,_  accept my deepest regret and sincere apology on behalf of my master," the man said and looked up in hesitation at the silent blond. He stood and turned around, quickly running out of sight.

 

The blond stumbled on his unsteady steps, trying to remember where the dormitory wing was but could not bring his mind to stop thinking about what just happened. Long ago when he was sent down to aid his lord's precious humans, he was gifted with the power to smite his foes freely. Twice had he been given the duty to protect the mortals as he came down as god amongst men; as beasts, as legends whom humans had ended up worshipping as their savior.

 

This time, he was sent down simply as a messenger; a being with an extra pair of wings and the gift to see the future when his lord allows him to. Other than that, he was just  _one being._  Not any stronger, not magical or protected by the grace of his lord. He was visionless and vulnerable. If something bad were to befall him, he would not just die, he would also not be able to complete his lord's tasks and that almost brought his heart to a stop. And something bad almost did happen tonight.

 

What if Sung Ki had been serious about his threats? What if he could truly lock the messenger away? Forcing Taehyun to watch as the world comes to an end before him? What if he failed and all he was able to do was lay in Sung Ki's forceful hold uselessly? Where was his pride as his lord's  _envoy?_

 

A familiar voice called out to him, further down the winding hallways where Taehyun had gotten lost in. "Taehyun? I looked everywhere for you!" Minho called out to him as he jogged closer. "I passed by your room and you weren't there, or at the gardens. Seungyoon told me you were back but I could- couldn’t... What  _happened?_ " Minho's voice dropped a few degrees cold as he saw the state Taehyun was in.

 

Taehyun's hands were still shaking, his heart a little stunned and breathing shallow as he stood there, hearing Minho's words but only his previous encounter with Sung Ki filled his mind. It was a first time someone had an intention to do him harm, to stop him from fulfilling his lord's task. And he was  _petrified._

 

He still considered himself lucky for Sung Ki was still able to be reasoned with. But if it were someone else, someone who does not respect him as a holy entity, who would not take no for an answer? Taehyun feared for his own well-being.

 

                "Taehyun?" Minho pulled the messenger into an empty office room beside them, closing the wooden door and not wasting any time to bother lighting up a candle as the glow of the full moon helped illuminate the room even if by a slight.

 

The blond was about to look up from his skulking position, but a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck. He hissed in pain as the part where he was previously hit behind his head doubled in pain from him pressuring his wings during his struggle with the advisor.

 

                "Taehyun, what was that? Are you hurt?" Minho asked, grabbing Taehyun's arm instinctively with his hand to make sure the blond would not retreat without giving him an explanation.

 

Taehyun whimpered at Minho's hand on his arm. He was glad for the familiar contact; Minho's touch was grounding, sending shivers through his body, but he knew he would not be getting away without explaining the sudden pain. Truth be told, the blond had forgotten about the pain on his lower skull up until that point. The crash of his adrenaline rush and strain from finally able to move his wings freely served as a harsh reminder.

 

                "I'm just sore…" Taehyun offered, hiding further underneath his robe, pulling it tightly and almost completely over his head, hoping that would be enough. He was not surprised when it was not.

 

                "Sore?" Minho asked, eyes inspecting Taehyun's posture for a hint of what had caused the pain. It did not take long for Minho to notice the odd way Taehyun was covering himself, the area around his neck precisely. "Taehyun, can I?..." he started before noticing that Taehyun's face had dropped to the floor in defeat. Minho decided not to wait for permission and walked to stand behind the blond. He touched the space between Taehyun's shoulder blades gently with his fingers as the blond's posture stiffened. He saw the wings shudder listlessly and frowned at their lifeless flap.

 

Minho looked up to the back of Taehyun's half covered head, which was bowed to the floor before his fingers came up to the edge of the robe's collar. "Taehyun, please let go?" He asked quietly, pulling down at the soft fabric an inch before pausing.

 

Taehyun did not move as his body stiffened further, causing a dull ache to form at where the sharp pain was made known moments ago. In the back of his mind, he was afraid to show the young man his injury. What if the bruised had turned bad? Who will Minho go after to pay for what they had done to Taehyun then? The messenger did not know what it would mean for Minho to see his bruise or found out how it got there, but he worried most of all about Minho pitying him. The last thing he wanted was for his anchor, his sense of security — to feel  _sorry_  for him.

 

                "Taehyun, will you let me see?" Minho said after a few moments of silence. "I need to…  _please?_ " There was something in Minho's voice that almost brought painful tears to Taehyun's eyes. The young man did not sound angry like he used to but instead, he sounded so sorrowful. His usually silent fury was gone and was replaced with this needy tone asking to see what had happened to Taehyun.

 

                "Okay…" Taehyun answered quietly, dreading the reaction he was about to receive from the young man.

 

Minho's hands took a tighter grip on the collar of Taehyun's robe and slowly pulled the fabric downwards. Taehyun felt the cool mountain air touching his skin almost as well as the scrutinizing eyes roaming the plane of his naked back. Taehyun's breath hitched as silence weighed heavily in the air surrounding them. His body tensed further in anticipation, wondering how bad his bruised was, and what exactly Minho was thinking about. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder to call out to the young man helplessly and find out.

 

The young man lifted his right hand slowly and let it hover over Taehyun's lower neck. The bruise ran from below his skull, down to between the blond's shoulder blades. The blond was obviously struck hard enough to possibly drop him. Minho's eyes narrowed as he bit his lip in violent anger. He allowed his hand to move closer until it was barely touching the soft skin. The goosebumps that broke out all over the blond's skin did not go unnoticed by the brunet as his fingers traced along the injury carefully.

 

                "What happened, Taehyun?" Minho asked, voice almost a whisper.

 

Taehyun's jaw hung open slightly at the cautious touch which sent shivers throughout his body. His breath came slowly as he felt Minho's roughened fingers stroked his heated skin. The touch was careful and tender, he knew only Minho would touch him that way. He shook his head in response to Minho's question, refusing again to share anything with the seething young man. 

 

Minho's eyes moved from the back of the blond's head down to the purplish bruise. He laid his palm against the center of the bruise and saw Taehyun flinched, a renewed anger brewed within the young man but that went unnoticed as the blond fought to keep still and not let his restlessness showed. The young man kept his palm against the bruise for a moment longer before he moved around, his hand glided over the blond's skin and stopped above his chest. Taehyun's winced in surprised as Minho's fingers came to touch more bruises across his neck and collarbones. Taehyun turned his head to the side to hide away from the young man's intense gaze, chin making contact with the back of Minho's hand.

 

                "What the hell?" Minho hissed lowly, eyes roaming over the bitten marks all over the blond's neck and chest. "Who did  _this_  to you?"

 

The blond opened his mouth to answer but was far too taken aback by the wreck tone of Minho's voice. Taehyun closed his mouth again and turned his head back down to the floor.

 

                "Taehyun," Minho called out softly, his hand giving the blond's shoulder a gentle squeeze before gliding back slightly to rest just above his beloved necklace. "Tell me. Who did it? Did they...  _forced_  you?"

 

                "They didn't manage to," the blond responded right away, not wanting to worry the young man. "They stopped. I got away after that."

 

Minho's hand caressed down Taehyun biceps until it made contact with the bruise on the messenger's wrist. He took a sharp breath, angry and disappointed that the blond was hurt  _again_  and he was not around to save him. He let his hand go, before his other hand rubbed his eyes, holding back frustrated tears.

 

                "I can't believe such a despicable thing could happen to you. You, an  _angel._  We don't deserve you at all," Minho gritted out.

 

The messenger took hold of Minho's shaking hand in his. The blond wanted to say something along the lines of  _"I'm fine,"_ or _"I'm sorry,"_  but he felt Minho would not appreciate him brushing off an attack so carelessly. Minho was half-glad that Taehyun could not see his inner turmoil looming behind carefully guarded eyes. Minho stared back at Taehyun's defeated expression for a few moments before his eyes hardened into two fiery glares He took off his priest cloak and covered the messenger, he managed to form a tiny smile seeing at how his cloak had started to fit Taehyun's size perfectly now.

 

                "Come with me," Minho urged before pulling the blond to follow him out of the empty room, down the office wing hallways with a purposeful stride. Taehyun tried his best to catch up with Minho's determined paced, one hand haphazardly trying to not let his disheveled robe fall while the other was held securely within Minho's grasp.

 

They came to a red door, Minho steeled himself as he pushed open the door without even knocking first.

 

                "Cardinal Chun, I need to ask you to assign personal guards to Taehyun, immediately," Minho demanded as he dragged a stumbling Taehyun behind him and came to a stop in front of the cardinal's oak desk. The old man raised a surprised eyebrow up at them both, watching them in disapproval as they barged in unannounced into his office room. Minho saw the grim look on the man's face and bowed in apology, holding his position as he begged again, "Please, cardinal. Listen to my request."

 

The higher priest closed his heavy book and sighed deeply, leaning back against his creaking chair. "And why is that, Song Minho? Taehyun? Why do you need a guard?"

 

Minho stood up and grip Taehyun's hand tightly, "Taehyun was attacked. For what reason, I don't know. It happened three times already, all within a few months apart. I don't want for us to be too late when it gets much worse the next time."

 

The high elder stared tentatively at the blond, Taehyun gripping unto Minho's outer cloak tighter to cover himself more. He does not want to create unnecessary trouble for the monastery. He was there to aid them, to offer them his help,  _not_  the other way around. And yet he found himself unable to let go of Minho's comforting hand, wishing for more security.

 

                "Were you attacked, Seraph?" The cardinal asked. Taehyun kept quiet. "Do you know who did it?"

 

Minho stepped back and turned his body halfway to look at the silent blond. "Taehyun? Who was it, Taehyun?" Minho asked gently and Taehyun almost weeps for his concern.

 

                "Was it someone you know?" The cardinal asked and Taehyun still kept quiet. "Was it someone from the inside or outside?" Taehyun did not budge. He cannot tell them the truth, the advisor held a valuable position in the monastery. As ambitious as he was, he was also good at his work. Taehyun does not want the monastery to have an internal conflict because of him. "You wouldn't say?" The old man probed more.

 

Taehyun shook his head.

 

                "Do you know why they attacked you?"

 

A nod.

 

                "Is it because of your ability?"

 

Another nod.

 

                "Has it happened more than once?"

 

He nodded again. He shuffled closer to Minho's back and hid his face between the younger man's shoulder blades. He felt weak and foolish for telling them these. "It's okay, Taehyun," Minho assured him, gripping his hand still. Minho felt Taehyun's head nodded behind him.

 

                "Very well," the cardinal said with a sigh. "I shall assign two guards on the seraph. Tomorrow, I shall send our senior mercenaries as your escort. I'm certain the people who would want to do you harm will grow more dangerous through time, so you will have our best soldiers."

 

                "Thank you so much, cardinal," Minho said and was about to bow when Taehyun's other arm snaked around the young man's waist from the back.

 

                "No."

 

Both Minho and the high elder stopped conversing as they paid attention to the blond. "Taehyun? Wh-what do you mean 'no'? You need those guards," Minho said with concern. 

 

The blond kept his head hidden and said, "I do not want them."

 

The cardinal stood up from his chair to round his table, coughing heavily as he does. "With all due respect, Seraph, you are an entity from the Gods, first and foremost. Holy in form and sacred in spirit. I cannot in all my powers let a being such as yourself be treated wrongly. You will have those guards," the cardinal said as he rested his hip against the front of his table, hand holding onto a walking stick.

 

                "I do not want them."

 

                "You  _will_  have them. You're important to us, and we take care of our people," the cardinal knocked the end of his staff to the floor and said in finality. Minho raised a concerned eyebrow at the blond still hiding behind him as Taehyun kept quiet.

 

                "No," the blond said after a handful of tense seconds. "I would never feel _safe_  with them," he uttered softly and his grip on Minho's waist tightened, his hands started to tremble. Minho's eyes slowly widen as he caught the reason behind the blond's distress. He stared at the cardinal who regarded them in curiosity.

 

                "I shall be Taehyun's guard, cardinal. Even though I'm still in training, I will graduate in three months as a full-fledged mercenary," he proposed and felt Taehyun's surprised exhale behind him. "Please assign me to the position. I will keep Taehyun safe with all my might."

 

The high elder nodded tiredly, murmuring something about being reckless and young under his breath. "If you wish. You must get another soldier to be your partner. It is always wise to have someone watching your back," the old man said, walking back to his chair.

 

                "I shall ask Kim Jinwoo to pair up with me. His combat skill is unrivaled," Minho piped up excitedly. The elder gave a mumbled acknowledgment and went back to his book, shoo-ing them away.

 

Minho bowed again in gratitude and left the room with Taehyun still stuck behind him. "You're okay with it, Taehyun?" Minho asked.

 

The blond loosened his hold a bit on the young man's waist as he noticed Minho turning around in his arm. He felt Minho's hand patting the top of his head before carding through his hair affectionately. Taehyun nodded his head.

 

                "Thank you, Song Minho," he said in a sincere whisper.

 

Minho grinned back at the blond as he wrapped his arms securely around the blond's shoulders. He hugged the blond close, Taehyun burrowing into the younger man's neck, content to be held so securely within the strong embrace. Minho noticed how he was now as tall as the blond, he wondered if he will grow more and surpassed the messenger's height anytime soon.

 

                "It is an honor to serve as your guard, Taehyun."

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1: CLEAR!  
> (after struggling like crazy with coding)  
> 
> 
> • The _smut_ will be on the next chapter. Ikr, what a cockblock  >=[  
> • I used Minho instead of _Mino_ because I feel like it'll fit well with the tone of the story. When you see _Minho_ , please read it with a silent-H to avoid feeling awkward ^^;;  
> • Also because Blond!Taehyun is [neomu](http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w513/TelephoneCableSplicer/Instiz%20Male%20and%20female%20idol%20that%20fit%20blonde%20hair%20the%20___1_zpsys5dunwl.jpg?t=1512824733) [banjjakbanjjak](http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w513/TelephoneCableSplicer/6tag-1462943781-1176729935679265012_1462943781_zpseqx2okxn.jpg?t=1512824735) [nuni](http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w513/TelephoneCableSplicer/Idols%20with%20good%20hair%20_%20Page%202%20_%20allkpop%20Forums_zpsufg2rof2.jpg?t=1512824735) [busyeo](http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w513/TelephoneCableSplicer/ADELIO-%20Adelio_TAEHYUN%20_%20Twitter_zpsnrwkwbil.jpg?t=1512824735) nonononono~  
> • If you want to see me having meltdowns over my fics || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_AirVice)


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